Hades and Persephone (Neo-Macedonia)
by Blake Farron
Summary: Set in the world of Neo-Macedonia, a more modernised Greece where the Gods live amongst men, Hades decides to take a walk. At the coffee shop he meets the mysterious Peri. (A modern day Hades and Persephone coffee shop AU)
1. A Meeting in a Coffee Shop

**A Meeting in a Coffee Shop**

Everyone in Neo-Macedonia knew of the gods. If you didn't, you were quite commonly accused of living under some form of rock. The knowledge that gods lived amongst men was a fact as renowned as the fact that water was a necessity of life.

As renowned as the fact that you did not, under any circumstances, mess with a god.

Hades, God of the Underworld, was most noticeably feared amongst his kin.

 _He'll send you to hell_ , they whispered.

 _He'll kill your family_ , they rumoured.

 _He's evil incarnate_ , they warned.

Of course, Hades was not evil, and he would not kill mortal beings, unless deliberately provoked. If anything, Zeus was the evil one, with his constant affairs and messing around, and ruining everything.

Okay, so maybe calling him evil was a little too much, but he wasn't exactly as good as the mortals perceived him to be.

Hades preferred to keep a low profile. He spent most of his time relaxing in his palace in the Underworld, keeping an eye on the dead souls passing through. He tended to get rather lonely sometimes, since not many came to visit him. It wasn't as if he was entirely alone; he had his three Judges of the Dead, though Minos could get grouchy and rowdy at times.

Which was why, Hades decided, it was time for a walk.

The streets of Neo-Macedonia were a lively place, something that never changed after hundreds and thousands of years. The only thing that had changed was the replacement of horses and carts with cars and bikes, and Hades had to side step around one too many teenagers glued to their phones.

He also had to side step around one too many teenagers trying to snap a picture of him. Everywhere he walked, heads turned. People knew who he was, mostly due to the fact his dog, Cerberus, had three heads.

Cerberus was typically a gigantic dog, too large to fit in most human houses, but for the sake of strolling around outside, Hades had politely asked him to downsize. Cerberus was a good dog and did just that, and Hades trusted him more than enough to behave. He could have even asked Cerberus to switch to one head if he really wanted, but that was simply asking too much.

Hades was off in his own world, when Cerberus' sudden growl yanked him from his reverie. With a little shake of his head, he glanced over at what Cerberus was growling at and frowned.

"I sense it too," he said, his gaze resting upon a small coffee shop.

There was no mistaking it. Hades could sense a god's magic coming from within.

A waitress stood outside, clearing away a few tables. Hades politely asked whether dogs were allowed inside, to which she yelled in response as she had not seen him standing there. When she had recovered somewhat – only somewhat for instead she now looked terrified of Hades himself – she whispered that no, dogs were not allowed inside, but they were allowed at the outside tables. If Hades asked politely, they would be happy enough to lend him a dog bowl full of water.

Hades nodded, and thanked the waitress. He picked a table, left Cerberus there, and headed inside alongside the waitress. Whilst he went to join the queue, the rest of the guests turning to stare at him, the waitress went to put away the dishes she was carrying and fetch the dog bowl for Cerberus.

Ignoring the stares of the other customers, Hades examined the menu board that was attached to the wall behind the counter. He wasn't particularly a coffee person, or a hot drinks person in general. The Underworld had quite a high temperature, so he was accustomed to colder drinks. Alas, coffee would have to do. Or perhaps hot chocolate. He'd never had one and it sounded remarkably tasty.

He placed his order at the till, and waited in line to collect his drink from the barista. He watched her intently, now able to place the magic he had sensed outside down to her.

She was truly a remarkable woman. Her skin was dark, and her black hair was tied back into a bun, loose strands falling free and framing her chin. Her eyes were a bright green, and when she turned to look at him he saw they constantly and subtly changed shades. Sometimes they were forest green, sometimes they were more teal, sometimes they adopted a yellow tinge.

She paused when she saw him, glanced down at his order, then smiled before piling on mountains of whipped cream and marshmallows. It was a rather shocking amount, but he decided not to question it and nodded in thanks.

Just before he left he caught sight of her name badge. Peri.

Who was Peri, he wondered.

He left the shop to take his place outside, where he could see the waitress had already given Cerberus a bowl. Hades sat down at took up people watching as he sipped at the hot chocolate, which was delicious as it sounded, and Cerberus barked softly, asking who was inside.

"I don't recognise her," Hades told Cerberus. "It's not as if I am familiar with every god in the world. She'd called Peri, if that's helpful."

Cerberus shrugged, and went back to licking up his water.

A few moments passed, and he heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, he saw Peri stood in front of him and she smiled down. It was truly a gorgeous smile, honestly so. She was too beautiful he wanted to tell her to walk away, before standing next to him was doing her no good. He wasn't beautiful, far from it. That's what years skulking around the Underworld got you.

"Enjoying the hot chocolate?" she asked.

He glanced down at the drink in front of him, which he had barely touched because there was so much cream. Still, he nodded and said, "Yes."

"Good," Peri chortled, then she pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. When he frowned she said, "Don't worry, it's my break. I'm free to sit down for a short while."

"So you came to talk to me?"

Still, she smiled. "I think you know why."

He frowned at first, but he quickly nodded once again. "I can sense god-like magic emitting from you."

"That's because I am a god, or a goddess if you prefer that term," Peri replied. "My name's Persephone, and, if the dog is anything to go by, you must be Hades."

"Yes," Hades replied, and he glimpsed back down at her name badge. Peri must have been short for Persephone. "Persephone… Yes, I have heard of you. You're Demeter's daughter. I apologise that I did not recognise you. I don't leave the Underworld often."

"It's not your fault you don't recognise me, mother keeps me locked up most of the time," Peri – or Persephone – replied, and with a melodramatic sigh she leant forward against her elbows. "She says it's for my protection, and I'm only allowed out with her permission, but it's utterly boring."

"Yes, I have heard that you are known to be antisocial," Hades told her.

"Not by choice," she murmured, and she reached out a finger to catch a marshmallow before it fell from his drink. "She isn't even aware that I sneak out to work a human job. Only on weekdays when she isn't fussing over me, she's ever so insistent I spend my weekends with her."

"Sounds…" Hades wanted to say something comforting, but comforting wasn't his forte. He didn't know what to say her story sounded like, so he let his voice trail away.

"It sounds like a privileged person unfairly complaining, I know," she said.

"I wasn't going to say that," he insisted, which was true. He hadn't planned on saying anything.

She simply smiled at him, and he was once again struck by how beautiful it was. In fact, he could feel the colour rush to his cheeks. In an attempt to hide it, he mimicked her pose of chin in hands, but then it occurred to him that probably looked ridiculous considering how frightening he looked. He sat back up straight, and stared down at his hands as if they had betrayed him, for he did not know what to do with them.

"The humans here don't know I'm a god, though they do seem to worship me regardless," Persephone explained, and she leant back in her chair just as he had done. "It provides little freedom, but at least it is some."

"I…" Hades frowned. He what? She patiently waited for him to continue, a trait he wasn't used to amongst the people he conversed with. "I somewhat understand your plight. Not entirely, but I was forced to live in the Underworld against my will. However, I have crafted it into a home."

Cerberus barked at this, and Persephone directed her smile down at him. "Yes, Cerberus, I would try to craft my own prison into a home, but it is rather difficult when there's no one to share it with."

"I somewhat understand that too," Hades told her, and she looked back up at him. "I have a few friends and acquaintances in the Underworld. I have Cerberus, and there's the Judges of the Dead, yet I fear I will probably never have a proper companion, no one to share my thoughts and desires with. It is lonely, though not to the extent that you are, I'm sure."

"I'm not here to compare who is lonelier, we all have our individual worries and they are all of equal importance," she said softly, and he made a mental note that those were wise words to live by. Then, she leant a little closer. "Will you let me visit you?"

"I would hate to incur the wrath of your mother if she were to catch you sneaking away," Hades admitted. "Yet, if that were to please you, you may very well visit. It would please me too. I never get visits from the other gods."

She gazed up at him, and he had to look away to stop their eyes from meeting. He was unsure of why meeting her gaze was a bad thing, perhaps because she was so alluring, and he was the opposite.

Perhaps it was simply because he was shy.

"Just make sure you don't eat any of the food," he warned her. "If you eat food from the Underworld, you remain trapped there. It's a shame, you'd probably enjoy the cake."

"I always enjoy cake," she sang as she checked her watch, then reluctantly stood up from her chair. "I should be heading back to work now. How about I visit tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, it's Friday tomorrow and mother never visits on Fridays," she replied, and she leant down to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

The colour rose to his cheeks once again. "Tomorrow sounds like an excellent idea."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Now, drink your hot chocolate before it goes cold," Persephone said, before trotting away. Just before she headed back inside, she turned around and called out one final thing. "Maybe I will try that cake tomorrow. I'm sure it's delicious."

She blew him a kiss before disappearing, and Hades was left sitting there with his eyebrows raised. Cerberus barked up at him, and it was only then Hades raised a hand to his head and realised that when she had tucked a hair back behind his ear, she had left a flower there too.

He held it in his palm for a moment, then smiled and tucked it back behind his ear before returning to his drink, already eager for the day to end and the next to start anew.

 **A/N:**

I originally posted this on tumblr for thoughtsontomes because she loved the Hades and Persephone myth. Though I decided I really like the concept of Neo-Macedonia as a world and would love to explore it more, though perhaps I'll stick to Hades and Persephone / The Underworld first, before exploring different myths. Leave any suggestions in the comments if you want more!

Btw, using proper Greek terminology it should be _Nea_ -Macedonia, but that doesn't sound right to English ears, so I went with _Neo_.

~Blake


	2. A Meeting in the Underworld

**A Meeting in the Underworld**

The Underworld wasn't nearly as pretty as Neo-Macedonia, and especially did not compare to Mount Olympus. Not that Hades minded the dark, dingy halls of his castle, or the chaotic, demonic outside. It was perfect for him and his peculiar taste for strange decor. He would have blended perfectly into the walls if it wasn't for his exceedingly pale face.

But it didn't matter what he liked. What did _Persephone_ like? She was beautiful, he was not. She liked flowers, he... wasn't necessarily fond of them but didn't have a distaste for them either. Still, he had kept the flower she had slid behind his ear. It has been left in a black vase, on the black table, of his black dining room. It was the only splash of colour there.

Well, there was the pomegranate fruits, sat in a black bowl next to the black vase. Another little splash of colour.

"Stop worrying," a woman in a sharply pressed, black, three-piece suit told him. She had straight black hair that fell to her thighs, and didn't even look up from her phone as she spoke to him. "I'm sure Persephone won't mind you live in a literal hell hole."

Hades, who was sat on one side of the dining table, rested his head against one hand. "Hecate, please."

"Please what?" she asked as she tapped away at her phone with her inch long, red nails. They were the only part of her that weren't black, that and her matching blood red lipstick.

Hades simply sighed. "Who are you texting, anyway?"

Hecate paused to blow a bubble before answering. Like everything else, her bubblegum was black. "Nyx. I'm telling her about Persephone."

"You're telling _Nyx_?"

"You know how she likes to mother everyone in the Underworld," Hecate remarked. "She feels betrayed you didn't tell her you have a date."

you have a date."

"It' is _not_ a date."

"Well, I think it is. We could always ask Aphrodite for her opinion."

"Considering her numerous affairs and scandals, I would rather avoid asking for her opinion on my non-existent love life."

Hecate paused from texting, and looked down at Hades, eyebrows raised. "It's not non-existent if you have a date."

He sighed again.

Hecate glanced back down at her phone. "Nyx asks when's Persephone getting here? She wants to know all the gossip."

"There is no gossip," Hades whined. "And I do not know when she will be arriving. I don't even know how she will be arriving. All I know was she said today."

"She's getting here with my help, obviously," a chirpy voice chortled. Hades looked up at the dining room entrance way, where two familiar figures stood.

One was a dark skinned and dark haired beauty, with ever changing eyes and a green dress to her knees, covered in flowers. Hades couldn't help but smile when he saw Persephone, to which Hecate deliberately rolled her eyes in the most melodramatic way possible. To his delight, Persephone smiled back.

However, when he turned his attention to the other figure, he frowned. This figure had a shock of brown hair and was dressed in a white hoodie and knee-length shorts. He wore winged sandals, and, if he pulled up his hood, one could see that had small wings on the side too.

"Hermes," Hades muttered. "What brings you here?"

"Aren't I always here?" Hermes asked. Since he couldn't be bothered to stand, he pulled his legs up so he sat with them crossed, hovering in mid-air. "I lead the dead souls to the Underworld, y'know."

"Yes, I know," Hades replied bitterly.

"I asked him to take me here, seeing as I didn't know the way," Persephone said brightly. Just hearing her voice caused Hades' mood to melt away.

"I'm not gonna go running and crying to Demeter or Zeus that Persephone has slipped out," Hermes chortled, holding his hands up in surrender to show he meant no harm. "You'll doom me to a life in Tartarus otherwise."

"I cannot doom another god to Tartarus."

"I'm sure you can, you're spiteful enough."

Hades frowned. Did all the other gods honestly see him as spiteful?

Hermes dropped back down to his feet and patted Persephone on the shoulder. "Make sure she gets home all right. I'll be off now. I was in the middle of trying to simmer down an argument between Aphrodite and Hephaestus, _again_. They were arguing about Ares, _again_. Honestly."

He waved goodbye, then spun around on one foot and sauntered out of the dining hall. As soon as he had disappeared, Hecate slid up to Persephone herself. Tapping her phone against her chin, she leant down and examined her thoroughly. Seeing as she wore high heeled, platform boots, a surprising contrast to her suit, she towered over the poor goddess.

"Hecate, please leave her alone," Hades said with a sigh as he pushed himself up from the table.

"Nyx wants details," Hecate mused as she leant back, and quickly turned her attention to her phone.

"You're Hecate?" Persephone asked.

Hecate paused to blow a black bubble in Persephone's face. "Lord Hades' secretary, the one and only."

"Hecate, is there not something else you should be doing?" Hades asked desperately.

"My job," she said with certainly. "However, I told Nyx I'd come around to visit. She wants gossip, after all. I'll see you later."

She blew a kiss in Hades' direction, and once again went back to texting. Without looking up to see where she was going, she idled out of the room and left Hades alone with Persephone.

Persephone smiled. "Hecate is your secretary?"

"Sometimes I regret the choice," he replied truthfully. "But she is a good secretary when she wants to be."

Persephone continued to smile as she danced around him, gazing at the room they stood in. "I'm quite fond of your taste in architecture."

"You don't think it's too… black?" he asked hesitantly as he crossed his arms. She was such a brilliant spec of colour amongst the dark background.

"It's different to what I'm used to, that's for sure. Maybe it could do with a teensy splash of colour," she teased as she floated over to the table. She peered down at the flower in the centred and grinned at him. "You kept my flower."

"I- yes- well- it was only fair to keep a gift," he mumbled. He could feel his cheeks flush red again. Why did she have such a bizarre effect on him?

She sidled up to him and looped her arm through his. His limbs stiffened for a moment, but at the sight of her dazzling smile they relaxed again.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked.

The colour drained from his face. "The plan?"

"You must have a plan," she chortled. "You invited me here."

"I do believe you invited yourself," he replied.

She pondered this for a moment. "I suppose I did, but you still had some time to come up with a plan."

Hades glanced away from her. "I apologise. I am not used to guests, you see."

"Then I supposed I'll have to visit more often," she told him. "I'll help you grow accustomed to guests."

He looked back at her. Finding himself absorbed into her eyes, he watched them change from a soft, yellow-ish green, to a more vibrant one. They sparkled more than Aphrodite herself.

"You will really come to visit me more often?"

She grinned up at him. "Of course."

He broke into a wider smile than normal. "I would like that."

"Aren't you handsome when you smile?" she replied, and he immediately flushed red again. She giggled at this, then pulled him away from the table. "Will you take me on a tour of the castle? I don't have much time."

"I'd love to," he told her, and he stepped forward to take the lead.

There wasn't much to show in his castle. It was exceedingly large, which far too many rooms for him to use. She had been fascinated that he'd actually had a home cinema. He'd told her he had to have something to do during his spare time. She'd tried to quiz him on his favourite movies, but he'd swiftly avoided the question. He couldn't bring himself to admit that the Lord of the Underworld fancied himself some romance and chick flicks every so often.

As Persephone danced along the corridors, admiring the constantly black scenery, Hades found his phone to be buzzing in his pocket.

A text from Hecate said, _How's the date going?_

 _It's not a date._

 _That's what you keep telling yourself._

 _Hecate, please._

 _Please what?_

 _Hecate, I could dock your pay if you so desire._

 _I do not desire. Have fun xx_

Hades sighed. Persephone gazed up at him with a glint in her eye. "Anything interesting?"

"Just Hecate being herself," he replied honestly.

After their tour was brought to an end, including a trip to meet Cerberus as he guarded the gate, Hades and Persephone found themselves back in the dining hall. Hades poured them a glass of wine each, assuring her it was not poisonous (or the blood of his victims as the rumours stated), and she was perfectly able to drink it without being doomed to be tied to the Underworld for an eternity.

"Oh, how I would love to one day have a castle of my own," she said. "It feels good to be free."

"Living here does spare me the constant drama and antics of the gods in Mount Olympus," Hades admitted.

Persephone's eyes drifted over to the pomegranates that lay in the bowl in the centre of the table. "I do believe I am getting rather hungry."

"Don't be daft, you'll be stuck here with him forever if you eat anything," a familiar chirpy voice sang, and Hades sighed.

"Hermes, you're here early," Persephone said, her smiled wiped from her face. To see her downcast hurt Hades more than he had expected it to.

"Your mother was talking about coming to visit you," Hermes told her as he sat cross legged in the air. "Thought I'd come to warn you, seeing how nice I am and all."

"Then it is time for you to return home," Hades murmured.

"It is indeed," Hermes chortled.

Persephone sighed, then stood up. Before heading over to were Hermes was waiting, she paused and brushed a hair behind Hades' ear. When she floated away he lifted a hand to feel she had left yet another flower there.

As she passed by the pomegranate fruits, she plucked one from the bowl, much to the men's surprise. "I just thought I'd take a little good luck charm with me."

"If that's your definition of a good luck charm," Hermes grumbled.

Before he whisked Persephone away, she turned back to Hades and blew him a kiss. It wasn't like when Hecate did is, as if to intentionally rile him up. When Persephone did it, it felt genuine. When Hades smiled slightly in response, Hermes shook his head and pulled Persephone away.

Now she was gone, Hades got up from his seat and drifted over to where the black vase with the singular flower stood. He took the second flower out from behind his ear and slid it into the vase alongside the first. The sight of the two of them together made his heart flutter.

The, his phone buzzed.

 _How's it going?_ Hecate asked. _Nyx wants to know._

 _Hecate, please._


	3. Give Her a Call!

**Give Her a Call**

It was believed that the Big Three never actually did any work. They liked to sit on their arses all day and do nothing, just mess around with the mortals. Maybe that was true about Zeus and Poseidon, but Hades liked to think he wasn't anything like his brothers. He wanted to make sure his realm ran smoothly, considering if it didn't, there would be a tremendous riot of dead souls on his hands.

So, he was currently sat at his desk, leafing through lists of recently departed souls. He paused briefly on Theseus, who had been judged worthy of a life in Elysium, and was surprised Minos would even let Theseus pass on there, considering the whole escapade with the Minotaur and Ariadne.

Hades didn't have too much knowledge of the upper world, but he'd heard the labyrinth had been turned into a tourist site. Perhaps he'd have to visit one day.

"Oh, you're doing work for once," Hecate mused as she strutted into the room, a clip board tucked beneath her arm.

Hades looked over the top of his glasses at her. "Are you insinuating I do not do my work often enough?"

"That's exactly what I'm insinuating," she said as she plonked herself down on his desk. She dropped the clipboard down and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I've got some great news for you."

Hades pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and returned to leafing through paperwork. "Oh, really?"

"No need to act so disinterested," she huffed, and she pulled her gum from her mouth and flicked it into the bin sat at the corner of Hades' desk. "I went to hell and back to get this information for you."

"Hecate, you already live in hell. To go to hell and back to get something is impossible."

"All right, I went to Olympus and back. Happy?"

"Terrifying." He nudged his glasses back down at he looked up at her over the rim. "And this information is?"

Hecate grinned as she held up her phone for Hades to see. "I got you Persephone's number."

"You... got me Persephone's number?"

"Yes, like her phone number. Come on, act a little more happy. How in the Underworld did you think you were going to see her again if you couldn't ask when she was free?"

Hades frowned. "Visit her at the coffee shop."

"You're an imbecile. I can't believe I work with you. Gimme your phone." She held out her hand impatiently and Hades handed his own phone over, not wanting to get on Hecate's bad side. She may have been his secretary, but she was still scary when she was angry.

"Here you go, now you can text and call her whenever you want," Hecate said, handing Hades back his phone. "At least do the decency of introducing yourself first, so you don't appear to be a random stalker."

"I was not the one to travel to Olympus and back to get her phone number," Hades pointed out. "How did you acquire it anyway?"

"I can't tell you that, there'd be no point in keeping me around otherwise," she said as she hopped off the desk, shoving her phone back into her pocket and scooping up her clipboard. "Have fun. Ask her out on a date or something."

Hades sighed as he leant back in his chair. "Hecate, why must you be so obsessed with my love life?"

"I won't have anything to do otherwise," she said with a shrug. "Besides, you're so lonely."

"The last time I checked, you also did not have a love life," Hades pointed out as Hecate strutted away.

"Well, that's because one doesn't interest me. Virgin goddess and all that. Don't forget to give her a call!"

She blew him a kiss as she always did, and left the room.

Hades tapped his fingers against the desk top, then picked up his phone and examined the new number. Was it really Persephone's? He supposed there was no harm in checking, and so he called the number and waited for a reply. There wasn't one, and so he sighed and put the phone down, returning to his work.

#

It was several hours later when Hades received a call. He barely ever did, the most he ever got was a barrage of text messages from Hecate trying to annoy him. He jumped when his phone started ringing, even more surprised at the fact his ringtone was an 8-bit rendition of _Moonlight Sonata_. When he had chosen that, he couldn't possibly say.

He looked over to check the caller ID and froze when he saw Persephone's name written across his screen. He'd almost forgotten that Hecate had gotten her number for him. His fingers twitched as he went to pick up his phone, and he almost didn't, his movements were too stiff.

He took a deep breath. He was the god of the _Underworld_ , he could pick up a phone call.

"Hello, this is Peri, I received a miss call earlier, who is this?"

Hades took another deep breath. Her voice even sounded beautiful over the phone.

"Uh, hello?"

"Oh, yes, Hecate got me this number."

There was a pause before Persephone exclaimed, "Oh, Hades, is that you?"

"Yes, sorry. I should have introduced myself first."

"Oh, no worries," she replied with a small giggle. "You said Hecate got you this number?"

"You remember my secretary?" he asked as he leant back in his chair. "Do not ask how she found your number, she did not say. Just know that she has connections somewhere. It is why I chose her as my secretary."

"Wow, maybe I should get my own secretary," Persephone mused. "I'm sorry I didn't pick up earlier, I was at work. It's my break now, so I thought I'd call."

Hades sat up straight. "You needn't bother wasting your break on me. I apologise."

"You know, I can easily see the expression you're wearing now," she said, and he frowned, wondering whether that was a good or bad thing. "All wide eyed and pink cheeks. Though I bet you're frowning now."

"I do not frown."

"I wonder if you have a tick when lying? Most people do, though it's hard to tell over the phone."

He could feel his cheeks turning bright red. "I apologise for lying."

"No, no, don't worry about it, I'm only teasing," she assured him. "Anyway, why did you call earlier?"

"Well, I…"

"Cat caught your tongue?" she asked. "Or dog, you don't have a cat. How is Cerberus, by the way?"

"He is well. I couldn't ask for a better guard dog."

"Now come on, tell me why you called me," she urged. By the way she spoke, he could clearly see her smile, and he smiled back, even though she wasn't there to smile back to.

And then he stopped smiling as he went back to stammering, "I… I just wanted to talk."

"Hades, it's okay to just want to talk to someone," she replied. She paused for a moment and said quietly, "I'm honoured you just wanted to talk to me of all people."

"Oh, there's no need to feel honoured about me," Hades insisted.

"But you're one of the Big Three, and you chose to talk to me," she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear her over the crackle of the phone. "A nobody kept locked in her room."

Hades paused as he thought over her words. He had never thought himself as anyone special, not since the rest of the pantheon treated him as if he was nothing. He wanted to take pride in the fact someone honoured him, but he couldn't, not after hearing the despair in Persephone's tone.

She truly was lonely, wasn't she?

"If you would like, I can call more often," Hades said. "Now I have your number we can arrange to meet up more often too."

"You really would like to meet up with me?" she sniffed. "I…I'm not really that special."

Hades tapped his fingers against the desk top as he tried to find something comforting to say. "Everyone is special. Besides, you're a goddess, and you're…"

As he hesitated to continue his sentence, the door to his office opened and Hecate trotted back in.

"So, Charon was asking about a pay rise," she said, and then she saw Hades on the phone and she paused. She grinned wickedly at him, and he frowned back.

"I'm?" Persephone asked.

"You're the first person to smile at me in a while," Hades replied, ignoring the way Hecate clutched her hands together. "I would love to meet up with you again. When are you next free?"

"Oh, well, I can't remember my next day off, I'll have to text you later, is that all right?"

"Of course, it is," he replied softly.

"But… I would love to meet up with you too," she said. "I'm sorry, I have to go back to work now, but… you can call me later if you want."

"If I can find some free time away from Hecate," he said, peering over his glasses at his secretary as she jumped up and down. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"I will. Thank you, Hades."

She hung up, and he found himself staring down at his phone.

She was honoured that he had chosen to speak to her. Honoured that one of the most despised gods in the pantheon had chosen to talk to her. His heart fluttered at the thought, but an emptiness also consumed him as he thought he was not worthy of her.

"So, you have a date?" Hecate asked as she sidled up to him.

He sighed and rolled his eyes as he returned to work.

 **A/N:**

It's been a while! I've been busy with work and other writing and stuff (funnily enough, I now work in a coffee shop like Persephone does!) Anyway, someone wanted a bit more character to Persephone, so chapter 4 (if I get around to posting it) is going to be from her POV! I've got a little planned for the future of this fic, so hopefully I keep up to date on it!

~Blake


	4. A Confession in a Coffee Shop

**A Confession in a Coffee Shop**

It was dead. By that, Persephone meant there were next to no customers in the coffee shop as of that moment. There was something about Wednesdays that made people go out instead of in.

"Gods, where on Olympus is everyone?" Arachne whined, leaning back against the counter as she sipped at her four-shot coconut latte. "We haven't had anyone in the last half hour. It's dull."

"Probably because it's Psyche's day off," Persephone replied as she checked the terminal reports on the till for that day. Only a couple of hundred in a few hours. Yikes. "You know she attracts customers like flies."

"I wish I attracted customers like flies," Arachne lamented. "I'm starting to feel like I should have put five shots in this latte. I might need another drink soon."

Persephone examined the empty shop in front of her, sighed, then fished the milk out of the fridge below the counter and went to make herself a hot chocolate. Cassandra, their boss, didn't mind the girls helping themselves to free drinks, as long as they made them when there was no queue. Arachne, being lactose intolerant, would alternate between coconut and almond milk lattes, whilst Persephone usually opted for a hot chocolate, with or without cream depending on her mood. Whenever Psyche was in, she would have a milkshake, sometimes experimenting with the different syrups to create unusual tastes. Cassandra would simply have a green tea.

"What I'd do to be at home doing some crochet right now," Arachne muttered. "You know, I bet I'm better than even Athena."

"Don't say that aloud, lest a god hear you," Persephone teased as she leant back against the counter, next to Arachne.

"As if a _god_ is going to hear me!"

Persephone simply gave Arachne a secret smile. Of course, at the coffee shop she was only Peri. No one knew she was a goddess.

Though her smile slipped when she silently reminded herself the girls at the shop were her only friends. Her chest tightened whenever she thought about how she was lying to them about who she truly was. But, if everyone knew she was a goddess, that would defy the reasoning she snuck out from home to work in a small mortal establishment. One day, maybe she'd tell them. Besides, Arachne notoriously hated the gods. Thought they were useless and mostly cruel.

She did have a decent point.

As Persephone stirred her hot chocolate to make sure the flavour had mixed in right, Arachne squeaked and nudged her in the side.

"Peri!" she whispered. "It's him!"

Persephone had been too engrossed in her own thoughts to even detect the presence of another god in the coffee shop. Her head shot up in alarm, but when she saw who it was, she gave him a warm smile.

Hades smiled back at her as he stepped through the door, having left Cerebus outside. It was such a sincere smile, even if it was awkward, as if he was still trying to learn what a smile actually was.

Persephone danced up to the till as Hades pulled out his wallet. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, since you are next available next week, I thought I would come and see you here instead," Hades replied as he handed her a few coins. "Luxury hot chocolate, please."

Persephone handed off the order to Arachne, who was staring with her jaw wide open. She then nudged Arachne gently towards the coffee machine, and Arachne nodded numbly as she fished out some milk from the fridge.

"Your eyes are more of a yellow today," Hades remarked as she turned her attention back to him. His eyes didn't change colours like hers did, but they were a brilliant shade of royal purple. Green had always been her favourite colour, but purple had slowly been creeping up to a close second.

She also noted he'd taken better care of his appearance now than he had when she'd first met him that fateful day. His hair - long and white and rather conspicuous for a man that had an appearance as young as he did - had been brushed for once. There were no tangled in the end, and it didn't look as limp as when she had first met him. Just looking at the difference made her smile.

"My eyes do that when it's cold," she replied wistfully, watching as he slid his wallet back into his coat pocket. "And it's quite chilly today."

"Yes, I noticed you were wearing a cardigan."

Persephone peered down at the black, hand knitted cardigan she wore. "Oh, yes. Arachne has an amazing skill for knitting and making clothes."

"And crochet," Arachne muttered as she finished steaming the milk for Hades' hot chocolate.

"She made everyone who works here a cardigan to wear in case it gets cold," Persephone added, waving a hand at Arachne, who was wearing a similar cardigan, only a little smaller.

"You have superb skills," Hades told her.

Arachne merely wrinkled her nose as she finished up on his hot chocolate and headed it over. "Better than Athena."

"Don't let Athena hear you say that," Hades replied as he took the hot chocolate. "Is it just you two in today?"

"Cassandra - our boss - is out the back on a break, but besides her it's only the two of us in today," Persephone replied. "And you, I suppose. Just us four."

Hades nodded as he looked around the empty shop, and then his gaze drifted to the shop's logo on the cups sat on the edge of the counter. "Cassie's Coffee. Sounds appropriate."

"You know each other?" Arachne questioned, her eyes narrowed at Hades.

Hades frowned back, of course not knowing anything about her distaste for the gods. "Yes, I met her here."

Arachne turned her displeased expression to Persephone, who shrugged in response.

"You don't have to feel obligated to come and see me," Persephone said as she leant against the counter. Arachne groaned and idled away to go do anything else but watch the two of them. Not that there was currently much to do, but she would certainly find something.

"So, how's… work?" Persephone asked, careful of her choice of words.

This didn't pass by Hades, who replied, "A certain... boat fanatic keeps asking for a pay raise, even though I gave him one last week. Things keep being sent to the wrong... places, and I've had to have a word with a certain judge about keeping things in line, and he responded by complaining about the heat. It is quite difficult to provide suitable air conditioning where I work, as you surely know."

"So, nothing out of the ordinary," Persephone teased, reaching forward to catch one of the marshmallows as it fell from his drink. "And how's a certain bubble gum chewing secretary?"

"You mean besides always on her phone? Always insistent on knowing everything about my-"

He paused and frowned. Persephone cocked her head to the side as she asked, "Your what?"

"My love life," he mumbled as he looked away, his cheeks reddening.

From behind Persephone, Arachne knocked over several jugs. She swore as they clattered to the floor and grumbled as she picked them up.

"Your love life?" Persephone questioned, glad he was looking away since it meant she didn't have to worry about doing so.

"It is nothing. You need not worry about it," he replied, taking a deep breath as he turned back to look at her. "I hope you don't mind that I came to visit you here."

"I'm honoured, really," she replied, tucking a loose hair back behind her ear.

"Nonsense, you really don't need to feel so honoured about me. I've already told you I'm nothing special. I'm the… least favourite out of all my… co-workers, as you surely know."

"Well, you're my favourite," Persephone replied, and it was only when she had said the words aloud she realised how awfully cheesy and far too direct they had been. She held her breath in hopes it would stop her face burn red, but her cheeks still felt hot regardless.

The blush on his cheeks still hadn't faded as he mumbled, "Well, I suppose you are my favourite too. Just make sure a certain bubble gum chewing secretary doesn't hear you say that."

"I won't," Persephone replied, giving him her brightest smile. She found it wasn't hard at all, even with all the fluttering her heart was doing. "Now, come on. Your hot chocolate it going to get cold, and someone looks a little lonely outside."

The two turned to see Cerberus sitting patiently by one of the outside tables, though still throwing them a sulky look through the window. Hades reluctantly bid Persephone farewell and went to sit outside and keep Cerberus company.

As soon as Hades had left, Arachne stomped up to Persephone and demanded, "Since when were you friends with a god?"

"I never said he was a god."

Arachne pointed an accusing finger at Cerberus. "He has a three-headed dog! Are you trying to tell me he's not one? Plus, he came in here a while ago. We _all_ know that's Hades."

"Well, when you put it like that," Persephone mumbled.

"I'm starting to think I should have put five shots in this latte," Arachne grumbled. "Since when were you friends with Hades? You realise he's the God of the Underworld, right?"

"He's not evil, if that's what you're implying," Persephone butted in before Arachne could continue to object. "He's actually very sweet."

"Who's very sweet?" another voice asked, and the two baristas looked up to see that their boss, the weary eyed Cassandra, had returned from her break. Cassandra was known for dressing entirely in black, with the only splash of colour being her glasses and her earrings. They alternated colours, but always matched, and today they were bright red.

"Him," Arachne huffed, pointing to Hades sat outside.

"Oh, Hades," Cassandra said, speaking in her monotone way as she usually did. Arachne gave Persephone a pointed look as if to say it really was obvious if Cassandra knew who he was.

"Peri thinks _Hades_ , God of the _Underworld_ , is sweet," Arachne then accused.

"He is, though," Persephone insisted. "You haven't had a chance to talk to him properly. He's rather understanding once you get to know him."

"Rather understanding?" Arachne cried. "You realise he's a god, right? They're all terrible, every one of them. Even the nice ones."

"You're just stereotyping," Persephone complained as she turned her gaze back to Hades, currently checking something on his phone. Most likely a dozen texts from Hecate.

"Do you like him?" Cassandra asked. Persephone's head whipped around, her cheeks bright red, and Cassandra added, "Do you?"

"Oh, come on, have you seen the way she's been looking at him?" Arachne asked.

"Well, he's just, I guess, maybe?" Persephone stammered, and with a loud groan, Arachne downed the rest of her latte. "I mean, I haven't known him for too long. He's just, cute, I guess."

"He looks like a living corpse, but whatever floats your boat," Arachne muttered.

"What are you going to do about it?" Cassandra inquired as she pulled out some paperwork from beneath the till, deciding she might as well do something to keep herself busy. "He is a god, and they can be dangerous."

"Yes, I know," Persephone muttered. Of course, she was only mortal here.

"If you want to tell him, then you should be careful about it," Cassandra continued as she flicked through her paperwork. "Don't be so upfront."

"Nonsense, don't listen to Cassandra. Her advice sucks," Arachne insisted, and Cassandra sighed. "I say march up to him and show him who's boss."

"You want me to tell him I like him?" Persephone asked. "I thought you disapproved of me knowing a god."

"I do!" Arachne cried, and she went to take another sip of her latte, only to remember she had finished it a few seconds ago. With a scowl, she said, "Us mortals still gotta show them gods who's boss, though."

"If you want, you can go on your break now," Cassandra told Persephone. "Go outside and speak to him. Your hot chocolate is getting cold anyway."

Persephone nodded, and before Arachne could make another complaint, she grabbed her hot chocolate and ran outside to meet Hades.

"Is something wrong?" he asked when she plonked down in the seat in front of him. "You are not smiling like you usually are."

"Arachne disapproves that I'm friends with a god," Persephone explained as she leant back in her chair. Now she was sat down, she didn't want to get back up.

"I assure you, I chose my words carefully so they would not figure out," Hades replied, frowning back at her. She pointed down at Cerberus. He looked down at Cerberus too. The three headed dog barked, and Hades' mouth opened in a small 'o'. "Yes... That's a good point."

"Arachne hates gods," Persephone muttered. "Thinks they're all arrogant."

"She does not know you are one too, does she?" Hades asked, his gaze focussed on her name badge. "They think you are a mortal."

"I hate it," Persephone moped as she leant forward on her elbows. "The girls here, they're my only friends. Besides you now, and Hecate too."

"She would be displeased if you had forgotten her," Hades remarked. "But, what is wrong with having a little amount of friends? Hecate always tells me it is quality over quantity."

"It's not that, it's the fact I'm lying to them," Persephone explained. "I feel... I feel terrible. I want to tell them the truth."

"But you think that is a bad idea seeing as Arachne does not approve of gods?" Hades asked as he swapped his hot chocolate with hers. She frowned and asked what the purpose of that was, and he simply said, "You look like you need a luxury hot chocolate more than me."

"Thank you," she whispered, and she paused so she could take a sip, licking up the cream and marshmallows. "But, yes, I am scared about what Arachne will think, but they deserve to know. I can't keep lying to them. If worst comes to worst, I'll have to quit my job here. It's not as if I need the money anyway."

"You are always welcome in the Underworld if the worst does come to the worst," Hades told her, and he leant forward and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Still, you should have faith in your friends."

"I do, but it doesn't make the whole ordeal any less terrifying," Persephone replied as she reached up to touch her ear. From her hair, she pulled a black flower that Hades had left there.

"I... I was practising some new tricks in my spare time," he muttered, glancing away from her. "I apologise that it is not very good. Black is not a very happy colour."

"No, I love it," she said, and she finally smiled at him as she put it back behind her ear. She then leant across the table so she could create a brighter flower for him to wear.

"Anyway, I was thinking about what to do on your next day off," he said as she picked up the luxury hot chocolate to take another sip. She nodded to show she was listening, and so he continued with, "I have heard there is an excellent dog park close by, so I was thinking about taking Cerberus for a walk. Would you like to come too?"

"I would love to come," she replied as she put down her hot chocolate, only to frown when she saw he was frowning at her. He reached over and wiped his thumb across her lips to remove some cream, then sat back and looked satisfied she no longer had a creamy white moustache. She stared at him, her cheeks blazing scarlet, and it suddenly occurred to him what he had done and his cheeks also burned scarlet and the pair looked away from each other.

Persephone spent the rest of her break with him, telling him bits and pieces about the girls she worked with, though careful to avoid any personal information. After she had wrapped up with the story about how Cassandra had to wrestle a seagull out the shop one time, Hades told her the latest gossip from the Underworld, or as much as he could when nothing all that interesting happened. Eventually, he had a call from Hecate, and so Persephone bid him farewell as she slipped back inside.

"So, how'd it go?" Arachne asked, another latte in her hands.

"I thought you weren't interested in gods," Persephone replied, disappearing behind the back of house to put the empty mug of hot chocolate in the wash. When she reappeared and found the other two staring expectantly at her, she said, "We talked about other matters entirely."

Cassandra gave a short sigh, and Arachne gave a drawn out one. "Are you kidding me? I told you to show him who's boss!"

"We were talking about more important matters, thank you," Persephone replied. "Look, there's something I need to tell you all. Someone needs to call a Psyche because she can't miss out. Tell her to bring whiskey and wine because a five shot latte isn't going to be enough?"

"That serious?" Cassandra asked.

"That serious," Persephone replied.

 **A/N:**

I was supposed to post this a while ago, but I somehow deleted the whole chapter and had to rewrite it, sorry! Anyway, Persephone finally gets a POV, we get to know about some of the people she works with. Yes, it really is that Cassandra and that Arachne, and that Psyche you (hopefully) all know and love will turn up next chapter, so stay tuned! In probably, like, a month .

~Blake


	5. Another Confession in a Coffee Shop

**Another Confession in a Coffee Shop**

Persephone had known for a fact her mother was going to be out with Zeus for the night, and so could get away spending a few hours with the girls after the coffee shop had closed.

Psyche had appeared just as they were closing with both wine and whiskey, for those who preferred one or the other. She marched in with her dark pink hoodie pulled up over her bouncy bubblegum pink hair, as some sort of lazily made disguise. All the lads that came to the shop were enamoured with her but, desire being a hopeless romantic herself, none of them caught her eye.

Flouncing in just before Persephone and Cassandra could finish the close down, Psyche went to sit in the office in the back of house where Arachne was intently focusing on her knitting, having finished her shift a couple of hours earlier. Persephone and Cassandra hurried up with the close down, locked the door, then summoned the other two back to the front. After picking a corner where no one peeping through windows could see them drinking, the girls all sat down and stared intently at Persephone.

"This sounded important, so I even brought wine glasses," Psyche revealed, pulling glasses out of a box she had been carrying. "I don't have any whiskey glasses at home though, so you're going to have to get some cortado glasses or something."

"Whatcha looking at me for?" Arachne scowled when she caught Persephone staring at her.

"Trust me, you're the one that needs the cortado glass."

Arachne groaned and reluctantly got up from her chair and trudged over to the bar to grab some cortado glasses. She put one down in front of each of the girls as Psyche started pouring the wine – red for Arachne and Cassandra, white for Persephone and rosé for herself – and before even touching her wine, poured herself some whiskey and downed it.

"Right, I'm ready," she announced. "Hit me with your best shot."

"Well, you see we should probably start with–"

"Oh yeah!" Arachne interrupted. "Psyche doesn't know! Peri is in love with HADES."

"I wouldn't say in love, exactly."

"Peri's in love?" Psyche asked, clutching her hands to her chest as her eyes sparkled. "That's so cute!"

"That's not what I said..."

"You missed the actual important part," Arachne huffed, and she paused to take a sip of her wine. "The part where she's in love with Hades."

Psyche reached up to fiddle with the plastic heart attached to her choker. "You don't mean Hades as in god of death Hades?"

"Hades isn't the god of death, he's the god of the underworld," Persephone explained. "That would actually be Thanatos."

"Shush," Arachne ordered.

"Arachne, it is her story to tell," Cassandra muttered.

"Nonsense," Arachne proclaimed as she leant back in her chair. "So, you know that guy that came in that one time? The white haired one with the dog?"

"The three headed one?" Psyche asked. "Yeah, I remember. He looked like a corpse."

"Don't be mean," Persephone whined. "He's self-conscious enough as it is."

Nearly dropping her wine glass, Psyche's eyes widened as she said, "You mean that's Hades? The really creepy one?"

"He's not creepy," Persephone insisted. "You know it's rude to judge someone based on their looks."

"But you're really in love with _the_ Hades?" Psyche asked again, eyes still sparkling. Persephone merely groaned and leant her head against the top of the table, supposing there was no point in correcting them about the 'in love' bit.

"I think we should let Peri tell the rest of the story," Cassandra whispered, and when the other two turned to look at her she continued to sip at her wine as if she had said nothing at all.

"Come on, Peri," Psyche sang. "I want to know how you met."

"Here, when he came and ordered a hot chocolate that one time," Persephone explained. "He absolutely terrified Arachne, remember? And here I thought she wasn't scared of gods."

"I'm not," Arachne pouted as Psyche sighed and declared, "That's not romantic at all."

Persephone desperately wanted to tell them that 'romantic' hadn't been the point and they were still completely wrong about her being in love with him. Sure, she liked him. Okay, maybe she really likes him, but the girls were still needlessly getting ahead of themselves.

"I didn't even ask you here to talk about Hades," Persephone then said, desperately trying to steer the conversation to what it was supposed to be about.

"You can't just announce you're in love with someone and not tell me about it!" Psyche exclaimed. She took not just a sip, but an entire gulp of her wine and then leant her chin against her hands, a dreamy look in her eyes. "It's so cute."

"Being in love with the god of death is not cute," Arachne huffed.

"God of the underworld," Cassandra quietly corrected, and Persephone was glad at least one of them was paying attention.

"Look, if you all really want to talk about Hades, we can talk about him next, okay?" Persephone droned. "But there's something else really important that I need to tell you, which you need to know before I tell you anything about Hades because... because it's about why I know him."

"Are you all right?" Cassandra slowly asked as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. "You look ill."

"I feel ill," Persephone muttered as she sat up straight. She had to force herself to take a deep breath before continuing. "Please don't hate me for this."

Arachne snorted. "As if we could hate you."

Persephone cast her eyes down at the table as she murmured, "That was kinda directed at you, Arachne..."

"...Oh."

Silently, Psyche poured out a shot of whiskey for Persephone, and she didn't hesitate in gulping it down. She then poured one out for Arachne, as if bracing for something. She was right to do so.

"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. I can't bear lying to you guys anymore," Persephone exclaimed, and she took an even deeper breath than before. "I'm a goddess."

There was a pause as the words slowly sunk in, and then Arachne drank her whiskey so fast her hand was a blur. "You're a what?"

"A goddess," Persephone repeated. "My real name is Persephone, and I'm the daughter of Demeter and Zeus."

There was another long silence as the cogs of Arachne's brain tried to figure out what exactly this meant. Psyche just blurted, "Isn't he Hades' brother, though? You totally have a thing for your uncle."

"Let's... let's not go there..." Persephone muttered.

"Y-you're actually a goddess?" Arachne finally stammered, and Cassandra slowly moved her wine glass away lest she accidentally knock it over. "Like... a real goddess? Like Athena?"

Persephone sighed, then nodded and decided she might as well explain everything, from how her mother kept her locked away for her own apparent safety, to how she snuck out to work at the coffee shop for her own taste of freedom, even if it was in retail.

And then, finally, Hades, who had been something more than freedom. She couldn't quite describe it, what he was to her. Her connection to the world of gods, perhaps, the life she should have been living but was forbidden from having.

The Underworld was a place for all the godly outcasts unwelcome on Mount Olympus, the rejects that were judged and feared for their powers and appearances. Perhaps that was why Hades and his world were so appealing, because, as an outcast herself, it was somewhere for her to belong.

"Oh... so you really are a goddess," Arachne muttered as she thumbed her whiskey glass. "I'm... I'm sorry I said all gods were bad."

"You don't hate me?" Persephone asked.

"Olympus, no!" Arachne exclaimed, and Psyche whipped her wine out of the way before Arachne's flailing hands knocked it over. "I could never hate you. I... I'm sorry, you're a good goddess. Athena's not, though. I'm still better than Athena."

"Better not let a god hear you say that," Persephone joked, and Arachne's eyes widened.

"You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"Absolutely not. I've never even spoken to her. I spend most of my time locked up, remember? I'm not going to tell Athena you're better than her."

"...Do you really think I'm better than her?"

"Of course," Persephone said, giving Arachne a wide smile as she learnt forward and placed a flower behind her ear. As she did the same with the other two, she added, "I think you're all better than most of the gods out there. Definitely Zeus, for sure. You're all my friends, and I want you to know that even if I'm a goddess and you're mortals, I love all of you."

"Oh, we love you too, Peri," Psyche squealed as she clapped her hands together. "It doesn't matter if you're a mortal or a goddess, you're still our friend."

"We'll make sure to keep you're secret safe," Cassandra assured her as she handed Arachne back her wine, seeing as she had calmed down now.

"Or we could use your goddess status to get more people to come here," Arachne mused, and Cassandra sighed.

"Are we still allowed to call you Peri?" Psyche then questioned. "Or do you prefer Persephone?"

Persephone wasn't really sure what she preferred, in all honesty. She saw herself as Persephone, and Peri as a secret code name. Hades and Hecate both called her Persephone too.

"Peri is fine," she eventually decided. "Think of it as your cute nickname for me. Besides, can't let everyone know you're secretly working with a goddess."

Not that anyone in Neo-Macedonia knew there was a goddess called Persephone. It was more a caution against other gods. Then again, Hades had still found out...

As if she had read Persephone's mind, Psyche sung, "So, are you going to tell us about Hades then?"

"There's not much to tell," Persephone said, and when the other three gave her eager and expectant looks (well, other two. Cassandra had her usual heavy-eyed stare on) Persephone dramatically rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll have you know, first of all, I really did meet him for the first time here."

"But that's not romantic," Psyche whined once more.

"Clearly you've never been online," Arachne pointed out. "Coffee shop AUs are all the rage."

"Anyway," Persephone said before anyone could continue, deliberately drawing out the vowels. "He invites me to visit him in the Underworld. Seeing as I was lonely."

Arachne hugged her hand knitted cardigan around her. "Is the Underworld scary?"

"Not really, it's just… very black," Persephone admitted. "The people aren't half bad either. You should meet Hecate – Hades' secretary. She's a bit out there, but a fun person. Loves bubblegum."

"Hecate as in witch goddess Hecate?" Cassandra inquired, and she went to take another sip of wine, only to frown when she realised she had been the first to finish. She was the one that elected to remain quiet most of the time, after all.

"Yes, that Hecate. She does look a little unnerving, though. Mostly because her hair never seems to move in the breeze."

"I wish we could meet them properly one day," Psyche dreamily mused.

"If my mother allows it," Persephone muttered. And it wasn't just her mother they had to worry about. Forget Demeter punishing her, Zeus would have Hades' head several times over if he found out. "Though, I am going out with him on my next day off. I can bring him in if you want."

"Oh, please do!" Psyche squealed, and Cassandra nodded in her usual silent approval. Arachne frowned for a moment, but ten eventually agreed herself.

"I can't believe our Peri has a date with Hades," Psyche teased.

"It's not a date. We're just taking Cerberus for a walk–"

"Oh, it's a date, and you full well know it!"

"Okay, fine, maybe it is a date," Persephone relented, and Psyche threw her hands up in the air in celebration. "Now, I can't be staying for long, so let's finish up this wine already."

Those that had finished their glasses refilled them, and as they clicked them together, it was Arachne who surprised them by saying, with a smile too, "Cheers to our one and only goddess, Peri."

#

Hades and Hecate were wandering through his castle's corridors, Hecate flicking through the sheets attached to her clipboard as she informed him of latest updates. Cerberus plodded besides them, in his usual larger form.

Though, Hecate had noticed, Hades wasn't exactly listening. His mind was elsewhere, and he just made monosyllabic noises in reply whenever she asked him a question. It wasn't a bad type of not paying attention – thank Olympus, because Hades is a bad mood was genuinely terrifying – but more wistful. She didn't need to ask to know what, or rather whom, he was thinking about.

As she tried to talk to him, his phone rang, and a small smile appeared on his face as he saw the contact name. He waved Hecate to the side as he marched on ahead to answer the phone in peace, and so Hecate stood back with Cerberus as she waited for Hades to finish.

"Did you tell them?" he asked, and then there was a long pause as the person on the other end nattered away. "They took it well, even Arachne? Thank Olympus, I am sure that has gotten something off your chest."

Hecate couldn't help but smile herself as she watched Hades talk on the phone. It wasn't as if he had ever been a grumpy or upset person, he had just never been particularly happy. Who would be when your entire family abandoned you to your own devices and treated you as inferior? Who would be happy when the people who were meant to worship you feared you instead and treated you as some sort of monster? Yes, he had his family down in the Underworld, as he had told her on numerous occasions that they meant the whole of Neo-Macedonia to him, but she knew that the treatment he received from the other gods, especially his brothers, hurt him in a manner she couldn't ever imagine. He would never admit it, but she saw it in his eyes whenever the other gods were brought up in conversation.

But here, on the phone, he was smiling. It wasn't even a forced smile this time, but a genuine one. It didn't suit him, though that was most likely due to the fact she was used to seeing him frowning, so a smile looked bizarre. But, for once, he was happy. He had found someone who understood him.

"You are still up to taking Cerberus for a walk on your next day off?" Hades asked, and Hecate found herself almost blown off her feet as Cerberus rushed past her. As e talked his master, Hades exclaimed, "No, Cerberus! You did not hear the W word. Please, get off me before you break my spine."

As Hecate wrestled Cerberus off Hades, Hades stood up, brushes down his trousers and said goodbye to whoever had called him. His cheeks reddened as the person giggled at the fact he had just been tackled by his own dog, but still he smiled as he hung up.

"Got a date?" Hecate teased.

"No, I am just going out with Persephone, without you if you do not behave," Hades said, directing the last bit towards Cerberus. He then turned and marched down the corridor as he announced, "Where were we?"

"Let me start at the beginning, seeing as you weren't paying attention before," Hecate replied as she strutted after her boss, and she laughed as he frowned at her, though he didn't attempt to make any excuses.

A/N:

I'm really sorry this was over a month later than the last chapter! I was meant to post this a while ago but my laptop killed itself (but I have a new one now). Please enjoy, and I'm really sorry ;-;

~Blake


	6. A Walk in the Park

**A Walk in the Park**

Cerberus was mostly restless in the mornings, in which Hades liked to sleep. What Hades did not like was being woken up by a three headed dog as large as him.

"Cerberus, I was sleeping," Hades croaked as the dog leapt up onto the bed. He groaned as Cerberus licked his face and said, "Sleep, Cerberus, do you know what that is?"

Cerberus barked that no, he did not know what sleep was, and Hades groaned again as he rolled out of bed. He chased Cerberus away, so he could smooth down the black sheets of his black bed because, of course, his room was entirely black like the rest of his house. It was also rather… scarce. Just a bed, the usual drawers, a wardrobe, and a small shelf with some old books, on top of which sat his helmet of invisibility. It was about time he dusted it; it was losing its shine. The only splash of colour were the flowers he had collected from Persephone, kept in a vase on his bedside. They were only a small selection of the flowers, for most he kept in his dining room in the vase that sat in the centre of his table, next to his pomegranate bowl.

Hades padded across the room in only a pair of pyjama bottoms. The coldness of the Underworld never bothered him, not when he was the god of that very realm. He never needed a shirt.

His pyjama bottoms weren't even fancy pyjama bottoms, more akin to half a tracksuit than that of the silk ones Zeus preferred. Hades would never permit anyone to see him in such dress (especially without a shirt). There was quite the chance that it would ruin his image. The God of the Underworld wearing only cotton pyjama bottoms? Of course, that hadn't stopped Hecate from seeing him in such a state when she barged into his room some mornings and evenings. And Nyx. Erebus had done it once too. Actually, thinking about it, so had Thanatos. As long as it was only Underworld civilians, then Hades supposed (an emphasis on 'supposed') it was… fine.

He'd scooped his phone up from his bedside as he headed to his en suite, meaning to check for the daily morning list of things to do Hecate would send him. That was there, as expected, but he paused with his other hand on the door handle as he saw another message, and he smiled.

 **Persephone:** Good morning! Can't wait to meet up today xx

Ah, yes, of course. Hades snuck a glance towards Cerberus, all three heads looking at him eagerly. Today was the day Hades and Persephone had arranged to take the overly excited dog for a walk. As Hades pushed open the door, he tapped out a reply.

 **Hades:** Good morning.

 **Persephone** : Ah, you're up late! Lazy bones xx

 **Hades:** I apologise. I am about to shower now.

 **Persephone:** Oh really? How exciting xx

Hades frowned down at his phone as he pulled on the light switch, and then the one for the shower. He quickly told Persephone he'd be right back, so he could shower, and once he was done, with a towel wrapped around his waist, he informed her he was almost ready.

 **Persephone:** I'll be at the park. See you soon! xx

 **Hades:** I have something to inquire. What do the 'X's mean?

 **Persephone:** They're kisses, silly. It means I like you.

 **Hades:** Ah. I see. Meet you at the park.

In fact, he didn't really see at all. Still, he paused and typed out another quick message.

 **Hades:** xx

Once he was dressed, he coaxed Cerberus to follow, and Cerberus bounded after him. Down the corridor, Hecate was approaching, her usual clip board in her hands.

"Are you heading somewhere?" she asked, tapping a long nail against her clip board as she chewed her usual gum.

Hades waved a hand at Cerberus to get him to stand down, then said, "I am going out with Persephone and Cerberus for a… for an W word."

"Oh, yes, your date!" Hecate said, grinning wickedly. "I suppose, as the Underworld's best secretary, I will have to do all the work today."

"You are the Underworld's only secretary," Hades said, and she shushed him as she put a finer to his lips.

"I will have to do all the work today," she repeated, and she blew a black bubble at his face. "I'll pick everything up whilst you slack off."

"I am not slacking off," he insisted as he pushed her hand away. "I am permitted a day off."

"Oh?" she raised a slender eyebrow. "Well, you've been doing plenty of slacking off lately. Almost every day."

"It is not almost every day," Hades replied, nudging Hecate aside so he could walk past. "Besides, I do my work in the evenings when I am available. It shouldn't bother you when I do my work, as long as I do it."

"That's not what the judges say," Hecate sang as she instead crouched down so she could scratch Cerberus under all three chins. Even when he licked her, her hair stayed dead straight. "Enjoy your date."

Hades sighed. "It is not a date."

#

Kuon Park was, surprisingly, the dog park. It quite literally translated to 'dog park', though there had been some chatter about potentially changing the name. Just as those in the West would use the term for a female dog to belittle a female, people were getting in the habit of using 'kuon' as the same. Unfortunate, really, for Hades quite liked the ancient words.

There wasn't really anything special about the park itself. There were walls and gates to keep the dogs from running away. A few climbing frames for bored children to play on. The old, desperately in need of repair, ice cream truck in one corner, and the newer more popular one (that did not sell as good ice cream) in the other.

Then, of course, there was the shrine in the centre dedicated to Hecate. For some reason, the people liked to associate dogs with her. Hecate had snickered when Hades had informed her of the shrine. She hadn't been to the park herself; Hades could barely remember when she last left the Underworld.

When Hades stepped into the park, Cerberus walking as his side, everyone turned to stare. Just like when he'd taken Cerberus out and seen Persephone for the first time many moons ago, Hades had told Cerberus to take a small form, but allowed the dog to keep all three heads. Now all three heads were yapping in excitement, tongues lolling out of mouths as Cerberus bounded into the park, and Hades strolled after him.

It didn't take long to find Persephone, sat alone on a bench. The fact no one was staring at her and they were all staring at Hades and his dog instead was an atrocity.

She was as radiant as ever. This time she wore a green skirt that came to her feet, and whenever she shifted, the material fluttered around her ankles. Her long, dark hair was loose and gathered on the bench beside her, flowers threaded into its curls. Hades couldn't help but stop and stare, even though no one else did. Well, the people who had been watching him before now turned their attention to her, wondering what on Olympus could grasp the attention of a god, especially the one of the Underworld.

Persephone's attention was on her phone, and she was tapping out a message. Hades' phone buzzed.

 **Persephone:** I'm here xx

 **Hades:** I am in front of you.

 **Hades:** xx

Persephone looked up and smiled when she saw him. He tried to smile back, but for some reason he was frozen, unable to do anything but stare.

Persephone hopped off her bench and skipped over to him, linking her arm through his. She looked up at him, her ever-changing eyes currently bright green as she asked, "Too afraid to come up and say hello?"

"I… you… you looked peaceful. I did not wish to disturb you," Hades murmured.

"We're supposed to be hanging out today. You're meant to disturb me," she teased, pinching his cheek. "This is why I like you, Hades. Now, where did Cerberus get to?"

Hades frowned, not entirely sure what it was that he said that made her 'like' him, and he pointed towards where Cerberus was terrorising some smaller dogs. "He is over there. Wait, Cerberus. Cerberus! Please do not scare the others. That is not why we are here."

Persephone giggled as Hades sighed and plodded over to Cerberus, ushering him away. The smaller dog's owner blinked in confusion as Hades apologised for Cerberus' behaviour.

"Lord Hades, is that you?"

Hades turned his attention to the voice behind him to see a familiar, human man with tanned skin, long, dreadlocked hair and an athletic build. Next to him stood a large, grey, lupine dog, well behaved where Cerberus wasn't.

"Odysseus. It is hardly a surprise to see you here," Hades said, as Persephone peered around him and down at the grey dog. "Argos has grown a lot since I last saw him."

"Because you don't come much to this park anymore," Odysseus replied. "We come here regularly. Then again, we don't live too far away."

"Do understand that, as a god, I am busy most of the time," Hades explained, ignoring Hecate's voice as it floated to the front of his mind to inform him, once again, he'd been taking many days off lately.

Odysseus nodded, and his gaze flickered to Persephone. Eyebrows raised, he said, "You've even got a companion with you?"

"Yes, this is Peri," Hades said. "She works at a coffee shop not too far from here—Cassie's Coffee—you should visit if you have the time. They sell excellent hot chocolate."

"I'll consider it," Odysseus mused. "I think I might have heard of the place. It must be that one shop that's always far too busy whenever I walk by."

"Oh, that's Psyche's fault," Persephone lamented. Perking up again, she said, "Come around next Thursday. I promise it won't be busy and we'll be in decent need of customers. If you remember, I'll even give you a discount."

"Oh, and you'll remember it's me when I walk in?"

"As if I can forget someone like you," she said as she looked up him and down. Hades frowned, and she looked back at him. "Don't give me that look."

"I am not giving any look," Hades said as he nudged Cerberus away from Argos with his toes. The two dogs were already frowning at each other. Even now they did not get along.

"Yes, you are," she teased, nudging him with her elbow.

"Lord Hades knows I am dedicated to my wife," Odysseus said with a smile. "Speaking of which, it's about time I returned to her. Besides, taking some time off for myself is a luxury these days. The Trojan gang are getting a little restless, and it's a pain to deal with. Word on the street is any day now there will be a war."

"A war between gangs?" Persephone asked, clutching at Hades' arm.

"I am sure you will have nothing to worry about," Hades assured Odysseus. "As long as you keep your best men on you, you will have nothing to fear."

"Unfortunately, our best man is currently at a boarding school on Mount Pelion," Odysseus informed them. "Something about centaurs making better teachers. Anyway, good day to you, Lord Hades, Miss Peri."

"Do not get lost," Hades said as Odysseus beckoned Argos away from Cerberus. When Odysseus had left, Hades turned to Persephone and said, "Odysseus has a tendency to get lost."

After that, Hades and Persephone searched the park for some sticks to throw, since Hades had brought no dog toys with him. In fact, he didn't own any, and Persephone scolded him, saying they must make buying Cerberus some toys a priority. Persephone picked up some smaller sticks, her eyebrows raising when she saw Hades had picked up what was practically a log. He had no issues with tossing it up and down in the air with just one hand, as if it weighed only a quarter of what it truly did.

"Are you sure you're not going to hurt anyone if you throw it like that?" Persephone inquired as she watched him javelin throw it, and Cerberus bounded after it.

"I am careful enough to avoid the citizens," Hades replied as the stick embedded in the grass quite some distance from them. Cerberus' three heads were snapping at it, arguing about which head had the luxury of picking up the stick.

"I couldn't help but notice there was a shrine to Hecate here," Persephone mused.

"Ah, yes. Hecate finds it amusing," Hades replied. "Have you not seen it before?"

Persephone cast her eyes down at the grass as she mumbled, "I've not been to the park before. Outside my home, I've only been to the coffee shop. I don't get to do much on my days off apart from, well, spend time with you in the Underworld."

As Cerberus finally came running back with the stick, Hades softly said, "If you wish, we can spend your days off exploring Neo-Macedonia."

"As long as mother doesn't find out." Persephone sighed.

"I will keep that secret with me to my grave, as long as you wish for it to remain as such," Hades replied as he wrestled the stick from Cerberus' mouth. "But if you wish to tell your mother you refuse to remain a prisoner, I will be the first to support you in that regard too. Not even Zeus shall stop me."

"Maybe one day," Persephone whispered, tucking a dark curl behind her ear as Hades handed her the stick. She took it from him, almost dropping it, for he made it appear lighter than it seemed. She at least attempted to throw it, but it didn't go far, and Cerberus was back with the stick in only a few seconds.

As Hades javelin threw it again, he said, "I would fight the entire pantheon for you if I needed to. That is a promise."

And Hades did not lie. Even his bones rattled with the urge to protect the goddess locked away from her own world. He had his own somewhat pantheon down in the Underworld to keep him occupied, but never a god from Olympus, never one of Persephone's kind, for that was what they were. Her kind, not Hades'. Never had he met someone with a loneliness etched into her eyes that matched his own, a loneliness that attempted to ruin her gorgeous smile. He would not allow it. That smile was far too precious to be ruined.

For it was the smile that taught him how to do the same, after all.

"You would?" Persephone asked, looking back up at him. Her green eyes had dulled during the time she had been staring down at the grass.

"I would," Hades repeated, and finally he gave her a smile. When she smiled back, her eyes brightened.

 **A/N:**

Guess what, you guys get a Christmas (Eve) present! I know it's been an eternity since the last chapter (like, since last summer) but I've been real busy with work, and writing/querying original stories. I promised someone at least one chapter before the end of the year though! I've got a couple more chapters written up, and will possible aim to post one at least once a month? At least until I have the chance to dedicate more time to it. Anyway, thanks to those who still enjoy this fic :)

~Blake


	7. A Splash at the Beach Part 1

**A Splash at the Beach Part 1**

"I can't believe you don't own a swimming costume," Psyche lamented as she and Persephone made their way through town, arm in arm. Persephone had never been shopping before, not like the other girls had, and so she was staring around at the town in wonder, especially as the occasional satyr walked by. The season's current most fashionable togas were in the shop windows, alongside more modern attire.

"Goddess held prisoner by her mother, remember?" Persephone said. "I never left my room, unless it was to go to work."

"Until recently and—" Psyche lowered her voice "—the _God_ of the _Underworld_ has been taking you on dates."

As Psyche gave a lovelorn sigh, Persephone giggled. Unlike Hades, she didn't deny the use of the word 'date'. Perhaps merely the teenage fantasies she hadn't been allowed when she was younger finally catching up to her.

"But you need a swimming costume if you're going to the beach," Psyche announced, and then she sighed. "I wish I could go to the beach."

"Have you ever been to the beach?" Persephone questioned as they stopped outside a shop to stare at the clothes on the mannequins in the window.

"No, I hate the beach," Psyche replied, pulling her hood down over her bubblegum pink curls. "Icky men keep goggling at me. Oh, how I wish one day to find a man who will truly love me for who I am. What is it like to be truly in love?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Psyche raised her eyebrows. Persephone shrugged, then pulled Psyche into the shop so they could check out the swimming costume section inside. The entire time Persephone had been working at Cassie's Coffee, Persephone hadn't spent a single penny of the money she had earnt. Safe to say, her savings were now over flowing.

And the first thing she was going to buy was a swimming costume.

Of course, buying a swimming costume wasn't easy. For starters, they needed to find one that fit. Persephone wasn't exactly small. Curves in all the right places, her mother would say. More like a well-rounded diet, Persephone would argue. She may have been locked inside, but Demeter did like to pamper her when it came to certain things, including good food.

Persephone didn't have anything against a bikini, but the shop they were in only sold tiny ones that Persephone would, well, fall out of. Psyche held up a particularly small one, and both girls grimaced at the size.

At the next store, they found swimming costumes that actually fit, after Olympus knew how long. Persephone stepped out of her changing room and looked to where Psyche was waiting in the corner, her hood pulled down now no men were around to fawn over her. Once Psyche looked up and saw, she nodded approvingly.

"I think he'll love it," she sighed, clutching her hands to her chest as she started to daydream again.

"It's not about whether he loves it," Persephone reminded her. "It's about whether _I_ love it."

"Oh, yes," Psyche said, shaking her head free from any romantic reveries she was having. "And do you love it?"

"You know I do," Persephone said with a grin.

"Good," Psyche said, clapping her hands. "Now we need some beach towels!"

#

Hades had his hand over his mouth as he stared at Persephone, his cheeks as hot as the sand beneath his toes. She stood in front of him, hands on her hips as she smiled brightly. She was wearing a high-waisted lime-green bikini, covered in a darker green floral pattern, finished with pale pink frills. Extremely Persephone-like, Hades had to say. Green, a bit of pink, and some flowers. Spring in human—or rather, god—form.

And Hades looked like, well, was there a need to say it? His complexion was as white and as sickly as a corpse. His stringy hair, which he'd tied back for once, was the same, sickly white. He was also skin and bones. Excluding his bright purple eyes, he did not look like a god, especially an Olympian one. Built like a Greek God, people would say. Often others would joke _like Hephaestus_ , but Hephaestus would joke _like Hades_.

"Are you blushing?" Persephone teased, standing close as she peered up at him.

"I do not believe I am," he murmured.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her currently yellow-green eyes twinkling.

"I would not know," he replied, even though he could feel the evident heat rising to his cheeks. "I could not say, for I cannot see my face. I will assume for now, I am not."

She skipped back from him as she sang, "Okay, we'll have it your way. Now, come on, it's time to have some fun!"

Hades rolled out the beach towels as Persephone put up the wind breakers, and Cerberus for once sat to one side and behaved. Well, behaved for Cerberus. He was still growling at people passing by. Not only were they staring at the three headed dog and the dead looking god—for, even if he didn't look like one, everyone still knew he was Hades—but they were staring at Persephone too. Hades evidently thought Persephone to be beautiful, more so than Aphrodite even, and had wondered why she didn't get even half the attention she deserved. Still, seeing people stare at her only when she was wearing something more revealing forced him to frown. If he had been a three headed dog, he would be growling too.

"What's that face for?" Persephone asked. "You were in a good mood earlier."

"I do not like the way they look at you," Hades admitted. He scowled at a man that was just passing, and the man's face paled before he hurried away.

"I don't like the way they look at you either," she admitted, watching as the man slipped on the sand as he ran away.

"And how do they look at me?" Hades questioned. She looked up at him but said nothing. Her eyes simply dulled. Answering for her, he said, "Like I am a monster."

"But you're not," she whispered. "You're a god."

"And you have just proved their point," Hades replied, sitting down on his beach towel. It was black just like everything else he owned. "Gods are monsters, with the exception of you, for you have never been given the chance to become one."

"So, you think I would be a monster if I had been given the chance?" Persephone asked as she knelt beside him on her own beach towel, which was green just like everything else she owned.

"I—of course not," Hades hurriedly replied, and Cerberus barked in agreement.

"Not all gods are monsters," Persephone declared as she started to rummage through her bag. "Hermes isn't. He takes me to the Underworld and doesn't tell a soul. Hecate isn't. She's a completely loyal secretary, the best in Neo-Macedonia. Even Mother isn't, even though she does forbid me from going outside. She's not a monster though, just ridiculously strict."

"I call restricting one's daughter's freedom is along the line of monstrous," Hades said. "But that may be personal opinion."

"She can still be nice. And she'll never be Zeus level," Persephone pointed put as she pulled her purse from her bag, something else she had told Hades she'd bought on her shopping trip with Psyche the other day. Hades shivered at the mention of his brother's name, and Persephone said, "Besides, you're not a monster. You're the kindest god I've met."

Hades hid his smile by turning his face away. "I think you have you and me mixed up."

"Oh, I do, do I?" Persephone asked. "You're the one that spirits me away to the Underworld, away from the confines of my home, to treat me to a life I've never had."

"A life you deserve," he said, and he turned his face back to her, letting her see his smile. "Yet, you are the one that gives me discounts on hot chocolates. Even Odysseus, I hear. I hope you will not become too friendly with him."

"Someone sounds worried," she teased, pinching his cheek before standing up. "Now, I'm going to get some ice cream, and you can stay here being all broody like you do best."

"It will be my pleasure," Hades replied, and he watched as she skipped down the beach. He lay back down on his blanket, eyes closed as he let himself relax in the sun, almost as if he was trying to get a tan. Impossible, no matter how much he tried.

Persephone came back, cautiously carrying two ice creams in one hand and her purse in the other. She handed one of the mint-green (also mint flavoured) ice creams to Hades, and the pair sat cross-legged on their towels as they watched Cerberus roll around in the sand. Once they'd finished,

Persephone urged Hades to help her build sandcastles, and he reluctantly agreed, only to have his knocked down by Cerberus. For someone who had never been to the beach before, Persephone had quite the talent for building not just sand castles, but a sand fort. Hades couldn't even get sand out of a bucket properly.

"Come on," Persephone then insisted as she leapt to her feet, unintentionally kicking over Hades' most recent attempt at building a sand castle. He frowned as it crumbled, and he decided it would be his final attempt.

"Come on what?" he asked as he sat back down on his towel.

She grinned as she pointed towards the ocean. "We can't come to the beach and not swim in the ocean."

"I only swim in the River Styx," Hades said, and when she raised her eyebrows he added, "That was a joke. I have a swimming pool."

"You have a _swimming pool_ in the Underworld?" Persephone asked. "You've never taken me there."

"It is hardly ever used, and the water is…"

"Black?" she asked.

"Black," he repeated. "Besides… I am forbidden from stepping in the ocean. It is Poseidon's realm. That was not a joke."

Persephone put her hands on her hips as she stared down at Hades. "You didn't think about telling me before we went to the _beach_ that you can't step in the _ocean_."

Hades pulled his knees up as he stared back at Persephone and said, "I did not wish to disappoint you. And then I did anyway. I apologise."

"I guess I'll have to find a suitable punishment for withholding the truth from me," Persephone chortled, and Hades hugged his knees. He hugged them even tighter when she turned to Cerberus and demanded, "Cerberus, we need to dig a hole."

Hades helped them dig the hole, even though he knew it was tied to his own punishment. After a few minutes, he was sat in the hole, and Persephone was pushing the sand back on top of him. He dared not even twitch as she started to mould the sand she pushed on top of him. In no time at all, he was buried up to his neck, with the sand on top shaped to make him look like a mermaid. Persephone giggled and dug her phone out from her bag, so she could take a picture, and crouched next to him so she could take a selfie of them together—she was beaming, and he was frowning.

"You make a beautiful mermaid," she said, patting his sandy chest. "Come on, Cerberus. You'll go swimming with me, right?"

Hades couldn't avoid the lick on the face Cerberus gave him, seeing as he was currently trapped beneath the sand. He watched as Cerberus bounded after Persephone, towards the sea, leaving him stuck in the sand on his own. 'Stuck' was a loose word, though. Any person could burst out of the sand if they wanted too, and it would prove no hassle to a god.

There were a few mortals staring in curiosity at the half-buried God of the Underworld, and so Hades closed his eyes and ignored them. When someone sat atop him, Hades assumed it must have been Persephone. He opened his eyes, frowning when he saw, in the far distance, she was still splashing in the ocean with Cerberus, and the person on top of him was in fact Hermes, in white shorts, Hawaiian shirt, and gold sunglasses with wings on the side.

"Hermes?" Hades questioned. "Why are you sitting on top of me?"

"Why are you a mermaid?" Hermes questioned as he licked a bright gold ice cream.

"Punishment for not informing Persephone I could not set foot in the ocean," Hades replied. "Why are you sitting on top of me?"

"I needed your attention. Hello to you to, by the way," Hermes replied, and he took a massive bite of his ice cream. "I heard you were at the beach."

"You… heard?"

"People talk, you know," Hermes replied as he stood up yet, as he did, he pulled his legs up so instead he sat cross-legged in the air. This garnered even more attention from the mortals—speaking of which: "Especially mortals. They love rumours, you see, and there's a current one people are whispering that Hades, God of the Underworld, has picked up a girl."

"Picked up a girl?" Hades repeated. "What a derogative way to phrase it. I prefer to say I made a friend and so did she. I 'picked up' no one."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make," Hermes said, sighing before taking another lick of his ice cream. "What I mean is, you're not exactly being careful. If the mortals are going to start talking, the gods will too. Some gods like to stalk social media. I know those words are practically foreign to you, but I like a bit of internet browsing."

Hades sat up bolt upright, the sand falling around him. "I cannot let anyone know."

"Zeus will be in a right tizz if he finds out you've been spiriting Persephone away," Hermes said, tapping one finger against his ice cream cone and another against his knee. "You'll be in a lot of trouble. Tartarus, I'll be in a lot of trouble for helping."

"It is not me I am worried for," Hades replied, clambering out of the sand.

"You should be," Hermes remarked, nodding towards where Persephone was still in the ocean. She was no longer splashing in the water, instead watching Cerberus as he barked at her. "Poseidon is coming, and he's not going to be happy when he finds out another god has been chilling in his water."

"I think Cerberus was saying we needed to go back," Persephone said as she stumbled up the beach, Cerberus running after her. She blinked at Hermes and asked, "Hermes? What are you—"

"Yes, I told Cerberus to inform you that you needed to return," Hades interjected, and now she blinked at him.

"You can speak to Cerberus telepathically?" she questioned.

"Of course. He is my dog," Hades stated matter-of-factly. He reached out to grab Persephone's hands, who coughed at the touch, then he said, "Get behind me and do not say a word."

Persephone nodded and hid behind Hades as he'd told her too. He turned his attention to the water, as did Hermes, and the two gods watched as a third stepped out of the ocean.

Poseidon was here.

 **A/N:**

Hey guys! I was meant to upload this a few days ago but some things came up. Anyway, I want to say that the *official* update day from now on will be the first of every month! Y'all have to hold me to that or I'll forget, haha. I know a month is a long time to wait, but I'll be starting work again soon (at a coffee shop like Persephone :P) and don't have much time on my hands amongst other things! I hope you enjoy the new character introduced at the very end!

~Blake


	8. A Splash at the Beach Part 2

**A Splash at the Beach Part 2**

Hades should have known coming to the beach was a terrible idea. He had been asking Persephone what she would like to do, since there were plenty of things she hadn't done in her time locked away by Demeter. He should have said no when she had suggested the beach. Hades avoided it at all costs, considering he was hardly on the best of terms with Poseidon (but better terms than those he was on with Zeus. Neither brother particularly liked each other). Yet, Persephone's eyes had been shining, and Cerberus had been yapping too, because he'd never been to the beach either, and so Hades had relented. Hecate had chirped it was going to be a bad idea, but he pushed all of her complaints to one side, insisting they'd be fine. He was a god himself; he didn't have to worry about anything.

How moronic he had been. Now Poseidon was striding towards them. If Persephone was caught, who knew what Poseidon would do? What _Zeus_ would do? As long as Persephone stayed behind Hades, and he kept a hold on her hand, she should be fine. Poseidon would hopefully be unable to detect the presence of another god when she was too close to Hades. Even Hermes floated closer by an inch, to use his own godly presence as an aid.

Poseidon looked appropriately arrogant for someone who saw himself as the second most important god. He was muscular, showing this off by being permanently shirtless (his excuse was he didn't need a shirt to swim—Hades argued that Poseidon still wore trousers). He had tanned skin, long dark hair in which pearls were braided, and a matching beard. Overall, he looked a lot like that one man from that one film about a man who could talk to fish and ruled an underwater kingdom. Appropriate, really, since that's exactly what Poseidon did.

Poseidon strutted up the beach to where Hades stood, and Hermes floated next to him. Despite the warm looks the God of the Sea gave the women he passed, he gave Hermes a cold look, and Hades received an even colder one. Persephone didn't receive a single glance.

"I thought I felt the presence of another god in my sea," Poseidon said, arms crossed as he leant all his weight on one leg, his bare toes digging into the sand. He shook his hair free from his eyes as he glowered at Hades and said, "You're not supposed to be here."

"I merely wanted to go to the beach," Hades said, both hands behind his back as he squeezed one of Persephone's. Mortals were watching with intent now. A showdown with _three_ gods was something they'd never seen before.

"With Hermes?" Poseidon asked, directing his glower to the other god, though it lost its intensity when it left Hades. Hermes focused his own attention on his golden ice cream as Poseidon then said, "I didn't realise the two of you were friends."

"We aren't," Hermes said as Hades claimed, "We are not, but we are work… acquaintances. He aids me with directing the souls down to the Underworld, as you must surely know."

"A work trip, yet you come without your preferred work colleagues?" Poseidon questioned. "And you no less. You're don't exactly strike me as the sociable type, Hades."

"I do not have to be sociable if I come to the beach with only my dog," Hades said, nodding down at the one sat at his feet. "Cerberus desired to go out. Guarding the entrance to the Underworld does get tiring after a while."

"I bumped into him on the way here and thought I'd simply tag along," Hermes replied with a shrug. "He insisted 'no, I'm Hades, God of Loneliness,' but I came anyway, because I was bored."

"I did not refer to myself as the God of Loneliness," Hades replied, though it was an apt description.

"He did too," Hermes wilfully replied.

Poseidon's frown only deepened. "I thought I forbid you from stepping into my ocean, Hades."

"I am standing on the sand," Hades replied, and he pointed down to Cerberus, who was growling at Poseidon, teeth bared. "As you can tell by the damp fur, Cerberus was the one taking a dip."

"I'm curious, brother, about these recent outings of yours," Poseidon said as he glanced over Hades shoulder, directly at Persephone, yet still said nothing of her presence there. "Apparently you've been wandering around town a bit."

"I thought I needed the fresh air a little more," Hades replied, unblinking as he refused to look away from his brother's gaze. At least Poseidon wasn't as unbearable as Zeus, so dealing with him made Hades' limbs tense only a little—usually, that was, for now, with Persephone hidden behind him, Hades' limbs where tensed even more.

Hermes nodded in agreement. "Have you seen how pale he is? Looks a little dead."

"I feel it too," Hades dryly replied.

Poseidon's frown shifted a tad as he asked, "Was that a joke."

"Yes. I make jokes now."

With one eyebrow raised, Poseidon simply said, "I see."

"Yes, that is what you're the god of," Hermes claimed, impatiently tapping his foot and his ice cream cone. "Can we go back to our dilly-dallying on the beach now?"

Poseidon didn't bother with this joke. Shaking his hair from his eyes again, he swivelled in the sand and said, "I have an eye on you, brother. As does Zeus. You may like to hide away in your Underworld, but you cannot keep secrets from us forever."

With that, Poseidon strutted right back to the sea, disappearing from sight as soon as his toes touched the water. The mortals surrounding them were still watching with wide eyes, though scattered when Hades sent a scowl in their direction.

He let go of Persephone's hand, turned back to her, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"He couldn't see me," she remarked, staring at the ocean where Poseidon had disappeared.

"Hades does have a helmet of invisibility," Hermes pointed out after taking a lick of the ice cream melting down his cone. "But, being a god, it's not as if he needs to wear it. It's decoration."

Persephone nodded as she stared down at her feet. "We… we should probably go home. We've been careless."

"Yes," Hades said, his heart sinking. It sank even more when Persephone looked up at him miserably. Even Cerberus was looking at him miserably. "We should avoid the mortal world, if we are to garner such attention."

"I can still come down to the Underworld with you, though?" she asked, grabbing Hades' hands. "I don't want to go back to being stuck at home. I like spending time with you."

"No god's going to find you in the Underworld," Hermes said, placing his feet back down on the sand. "Only the ones that live there, and they're not going to turn you in, not when they, somehow, like Hades."

"I like you less and less every day," Hades muttered, and Cerberus barked in agreement.

Hermes waved a hand through the air. "You never liked me in the first place. Now, I'll still willingly escort Miss Persephone down to the Underworld, if you promise, Olympus forbid, that the two of you are more careful from now on. I refuse to get dragged down into your mess."

"You already have been," Hades grumbled.

Persephone sighed and instead said, "Thank you, Hermes."

"See? The lady is right," Hermes mused, and he stuffed the rest of his ice cream in his mouth. Once he'd gulped it down, he said, "Now, I really should be off. You're welcome for the warning, by the way. I need to return back to Mount Olympus before Aphrodite and Hephaestus start arguing over Ares again."

Hades said, reluctantly mumbling a thank you, and Hermes nodded before spinning around and disappearing in a puff of gold. Hades looked back at Persephone, squeezing his hand as he whispered, "We should pack up and head back. I do not wish to dictate your life, but perhaps you should take the rest of the week off from work, just in case."

She sighed too, squeezing his hand back as she whispered, "You're right. I'll give Cassandra a call later."

"I'm sorry," Hades mumbled as Cerberus pawed at the sand, whimpering.

Still, Persephone managed a smile as she brushed the sandy hair from Hades face and left a flower behind his ear.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," she assured him.

#

Hades stomped back into his castle, Cerberus trailing water behind him. Hecate, who always knew when he had returned by some godly magic, trotted up to greet him, though she didn't look up as she was tapping from her phone. However, she did look up when he waved her aside and stomped past without a word.

"It went badly, then?" she called after him, shoving her phone into her jacket pocket, before bending down to grab Cerberus by the fur. "Not you. You're going to trail water everywhere and I refuse to have this place smell like wet dog."

Hades stomped all the way back to his room, where he dropped all the things they'd brought to the beach on the floor. He'd brought back everything, including Persephone's swimming costume and towel, lest Demeter one day decide to search her daughter's room and find things that were evidence of trips outside. Now his arms were free, he marched into his en suite, throwing his phone on the shelf to the side, and took a shower, not even bothering to close the door. It was the en suite to his room, after all; he shouldn't have to worry about a door.

Once he'd washed all the sand from his hair, he wrapped his head up in a black towel, pulled on some black pyjama bottoms, and went to sulk in bed, huddling up in his duvet. About half an hour later, Hecate strutted into the room, along with Cerberus. Cerberus immediately ran towards and leapt up on to the bed, snuggling up next to Hades. Hecate simply took one look at her boss, in bed with a towel still wrapped around his hair, and she pulled out her phone.

"Who are you texting?" Hades asked as he sat up, pulling his covers around his shoulders.

"Nyx," Hecate replied, not looking up from her phone.

"Nyx?" Hades whined. "You don't have to tell her everything."

"Hades, you are throwing a strop, and when you throw a strop, you need a mother," Hecate replied. "So, I am texting Nyx. At least you aren't throwing an angry strop. Olympus forbid that ever happens."

Hades groaned and pulled his covers tighter around himself, but there was nothing that could be done. Hecate plonked herself down on the end of Hades bed and waited with him for the door to his room to open again, to reveal none other than Nyx, the primordial deity of the night. Her hair floated around her and was made from literal night; midnight black with tiny constellations of stars decorated the strands. She never wore dark colours, always white. She had once mentioned it was something to do with the moon.

Nyx, as was the common 'joke' down in Hades' realm, was the mother of the Underworld. She was, after all, one of the few primordial deities, so she liked to mother everyone around, treating the Underworld civilians as her own children. In all fairness, a lot of the Underworld civilians _were_ her own children. Thanatos, Hypnos, Eris, and all the others—too many to count—all causing havoc in their shared section of Hades' castle. Hades didn't speak to the many siblings much, too busy with work, he'd claim. Simply antisocial, they'd claim right back, though he did make sure to have Hecate check up on them every week (mostly to make sure that they weren't causing too much havoc), and they were invited to an Underworld party whenever he was feeling social enough to host one.

In reality, Nyx was Hades' Great Aunt. She and her husband, Erebus, were Gaia's siblings, Gaia being the grandmother to Hades and his siblings. He had to pause to think about the family tree, sometimes, for it wasn't the easiest to remember, not ever for a god. It didn't help that everyone liked to marry their siblings. Olympus, Persephone was Hades' niece, considering she wasn't just the daughter of his sister, Demeter, but the daughter of his brother Zeus. Hades did not like to think about it.

"I hear you are being miserable," Nyx remarked as she strutted into the room, wisps of her hair breaking free as she moved. She sat down next to Hecate, smoothing out her skirts. "Tell me, what is wrong?"

"Nothing," he murmured, sneaking one hand out of his covers so he could pat Cerberus on one of his heads.

"I told you he went out to the beach with Persephone," Hecate said, and she blew out a black bubble of gum. When it popped, she added, "I told him it was a terrible idea."

"Poseidon's realm, really?" Nyx asked, slender black eyebrows raised.

"I remained on the sand, thank you," Hades grumbled. "Persephone went in the ocean, though. I did not think about stopping her. Hermes came to warn us, and I had just enough time to hide her from Poseidon's view."

Hades pulled his knees up and hugged them to his chest as Nyx shuffled along the bed, so she was closer to him. She reached out to hold one of his hands and squeezed it.

"Hades, dear, you have nothing to worry about," Nyx assured him. "For starters, you are the oldest sibling. You really should not allow yourself to be bossed around by your brothers. They do not know what's best for you."

"Zeus is still Zeus, whether he is the youngest or not," Hades pointed out.

"But Zeus is only Zeus," Nyx mused, picking out stars from her hair with her free hand. "He is nothing in comparison to me. I would not worry about it. If anyone tries to cause trouble with you and Persephone, then they have me to deal with."

"You know Nyx," Hecate said, flopping back so she was lying down across Hades' bed, her hair still dead straight. "She's even scarier than you when she's angry."

"A common trait amongst us Underworld citizens," Nyx mused, her gaze drifting to the flowers sat on his bedside, the ones that never died. "Trust me, Hades dear, it is a pleasure to see you smile for once, even if you haven't let me meet this love interest of yours yet, and I refuse to let that smile disappear. You understand."

"Nyx, please," Hades muttered.

"Oh, we get a 'Nyx, please' this time," Hecate said, stretching her arms above her as she clicked her elbows. "Usually it's me he's saying that too."

"Persephone is not my love interest," Hades insisted.

Nyx smiled. "Are you sure, dear?"

Hades frowned, and it deepened when Cerberus barked in agreement with Nyx. Eventually, Hades managed a quiet, "No."

"Excellent," Nyx chortled. "Now, seeing as if you want to meet up with her again, you're going to want to take her down here to avoid the gazes of annoying mortals, you have to let me finally meet her."

"I suppose," Hades said.

"Excellent," Nyx repeated, and she kissed his forehead before standing up, Hecate following her lead (though, without the kiss on the forehead). "Now, you rest up—please don't go to sleep with that towel on your head—and we can start planning your next date."

For once, Hades managed a weak smile, and didn't deny anything about a date.

 **A/N:**

It's March 1st, so you're all owed a new chapter! (I almost forgot, haha). Finally, we get introduced to Poseidon properly, and Nyx too! Next chapter, we get introduced to even MORE gods. Guess who :3

~Blake


	9. A Dinner With a God

**A Dinner With A God**

Persephone's room was as one would expect from one who almost exclusively wore green, with hints of pink. It was mostly green with, well, hints of pink. Pale green walls, deep green covers and curtains, and even bright green picture frames that contained photos of her and her mother. There were pots of flowers left in various places in her room. She never bought any flowers (she couldn't) so most of the flowers she grew were simply flowers she had created out of boredom. Others were gifts from Demeter. She had received a few as gifts from Zeus, though she let them wilt.

And, hidden amongst the brightly coloured flowers was one, lonely black one that Hades had once gifted her. It rarely saw the light of day, for her mother would question the presence of a strange black flower, and so it was safely tucked beneath the taller flowers, away from prying eyes. Persephone was gazing at this very flower when her mother strode into the room.

Demeter had the same dark skin and same curly dark hair as her daughter, though hers was cut short. She always had at least one flower tucked above her ear, and today it was a shrunken sunflower. Also, like Persephone, she gravitated towards wearing green, but where Persephone preferred brighter or paler greens, Demeter preferred a deep, dark green, one that matched her eyes.

Persephone hurriedly bunched her flowers together to hide the black one, and drifted away from them as she asked, "Mother, what brings you here?"

"It's Saturday, honey," Demeter replied, always smiling, but never brightly. "I always visit on Saturdays."

Of course, Persephone had known it was Saturday and had been waiting for her mother to reply, still, she cast a deliberate gaze to the calendar hanging on her wall and said, "Oh, you know me. Always forget the day. That's what happens when I spend all week in my room doing nothing."

"For your protection," Demeter insisted, and Persephone forced a smile, knowing what was going to come next. "The world of the gods is a perilous one. There are some awful, awful ones out there that simply want to cause havoc. You needn't concern yourself with them. Zeus keeps everyone safe."

"Like who?" Persephone dared to ask. "The ones in the Underworld?"

Demeter's smile slipped a little as she said, "Yes. They are known to be bothersome. Now, put on something nice. Zeus and Poseidon are coming to dinner today."

Persephone's chest tightened at the mention of Poseidon's name, and she held her breath until Demeter had left her room. She let out a sigh, then flopped down on her bed, running her hands back through her curls. After the near miss at the beach only the other day, Poseidon was the last person she wanted to meet right now. To make it worse, Zeus was going to be there too, and Persephone had never liked Zeus. Always controlling and demanding. Perhaps Demeter wouldn't have been so insistent on keeping Persephone locked away if she hadn't had Zeus whispering into her ear.

To top it all off, it only just occurred to Persephone that her mother had insulted her choice of clothes. _Put on something nice_. Her baby pink t-shirt and knee length green skirt with dozens of petticoats were nice, thank you very much.

Persephone reluctantly got up from her bed and trudged over to her wardrobe to find something 'nice'. In the end, she left her room in a longer dress, one that reached her ankles, that was too tight, but sleeker like the dresses her mother wore. Persephone wouldn't stop fiddling with it as she made her way to the dining room, sorely missing the lack of movement she got when she wore what she preferred.

The was no putting of the inevitable, and so Persephone finally made her way to the dining hall, where Demeter, Zeus and Poseidon were waiting. Poseidon still looks as much as he did when Persephone last saw him at the beach not to long before (as in, he was still needlessly shirtless). Zeus, on the other hand, had a tad more class.

Zeus almost exclusively wore a white, three-piece suit, that had a tendency to turn storm grey if he was angered. He had long, grey hair, and a large beard, large enough that others had started likening his appearance to that of several well-known wizards in popular media. Not that this was ever said to his face, of course, and not that this was ever said to Persephone. She only learnt it from Hecate, who had mentioned it in a throwaway comment in a text before.

"Ah, Persephone," Zeus said, and he stood up to great her, his arms outstretched. Even his deep voice oozed power, and it made Persephone's blood run cold whenever she was forced to listen to it. Thankfully, that wasn't often. Zeus was too busy pissing off Hera in other ways to come and visit another goddess he had sired a child with. Not to mention he was 'ruling' Mount Olympus. He wasn't really ruling anything, he just liked to mess with the poor humans, especially the ones that didn't deserve his wrath.

She didn't return his greeting, and instead sat straight down at one of the empty seats at the table, next to her mother, and opposite Poseidon. He smiled at her, an utterly flawless smile, but she had recently discovered she did not like flawless smiles at all.

"You're looking exquisite today," Zeus remarked as he sat back down.

Persephone was careful to avoid his gaze and started to fidget in the dress she hadn't wanted to wear. "Thank you," was all she said.

"You are a beauty, just like your mother," Poseidon said, lounging back in his chair, a wine glass in one hand, though it was not wine he drank, rather, his glass was full of ambrosia, Nectar of the gods.

"Thank you, Poseidon," Demeter said, in a perfect fashion, the type of fashion one spoke in when you were a woman trying to usually please a man that did not deserve it.

Persephone wasn't particularly fond of ambrosia, but still she reached for the jug in the centre of the table and poured herself a glass. "And what brings the two of you here?"

"I was simply thinking about coming over for dinner, when Poseidon said he wanted to speak to me, and so I invited him to dinner too," Zeus answered. "I'm sure you remember Poseidon."

"Of course," Persephone curtly replied. Even putting aside seeing him at the beach the other day, Persephone would still have remembered Poseidon. She remembered all the gods she had met, even if she only had the chance to meet them once. Though how she wished she had forgotten them all, in her time locked away, and then maybe Demeter and Zeus would let her leave.

"Demeter, have you heard the gossip?" Poseidon asked.

"I am not particularly one for gossip, especially of the god variety," Demeter replied. "But, do tell. It must be of some significance if it's caught your attention, Poseidon."

"It seems Hades has fallen in love with a human, according to the rumours," Poseidon said, and he snorted at the idea. "Can you imagine? Our terrifying older brother falling in love?"

"And with a human no less," Zeus added. "A preposterous idea, certainly."

"It is… unusual…" Demeter said.

"What is wrong with falling in love with a human?" Persephone dared to ask, sucking in a deep breath. "Have you not been in love with humans, Zeus?"

He gave her a steady look, and when she saw his white suit darkening ever so slightly, she looked away, not even looking up when he coolly replied, "I have never been in love with a human, only enamoured with them as play things."

"I suppose you see gods as the same," Persephone muttered, thinking of her mother, just an immortal play thing for the king of the gods.

"Excuse me?" Zeus asked, and still, Persephone refused to look up.

"She said all gods must be the same," Demeter said fluidly, and Persephone glanced towards her mother, though Demeter kept her attention focussed on Zeus. "Are you sure Hades is in _love_ with a human?"

"Apparently he was seen at the park with one, and at the beach too," Poseidon said, waving a hand at Demeter as if to say her words were delusional. "Alas, I didn't see this human people keep speaking of, but I did find him at the beach, with Hermes no less. _Hermes_."

"What's wrong with Hermes?" Persephone asked, curling her fingers into the skirt of her dress.

"Well, it's Hermes. He's young and aloof."

"He may be the youngest of the Twelve, but he is still an Olympian, and he should be respected as such," Demeter pointed out. "Besides, he has been given the duty of caring for Dionysus, don't forget. He's not as irresponsible as you may think."

"Dionysus?" Persephone asked, but Poseidon was already moving the conversation along.

"I can't tell you how ridiculous Hades looked at the beach," Poseidon was scoffing. "All skin and bone. Honestly, I'm surprised the poor women didn't drop dead of heart attacks when they saw him. He looked dead himself. I honestly can't get over it, our older, antisocial and dislikeable brother at the _beach_."

"Maybe he just wants to have a good time," Persephone mumbled. "You all spend far too much effort judging him. What if he's truly good at heart, and you won't give him the time of day to see that for yourselves?"

As Poseidon snorted and Demeter cast Persephone a worried glance, Zeus calming said, "You know nothing of our brother, Persephone."

Persephone had to fight back a scowl. Bullshit, she knew nothing. If anything, she knew everything there was to know about Hades, and she wouldn't have it any other way. The only thing she would have in another way, was how these damned gods perceived him.

One day, she assured herself, one day she'd have the courage to stand up to Zeus and fight for both Hades and herself.

But today was not that day, and she simply sulked in silence as Zeus and Poseidon gossiped about entirely false rumours.

#

Hades was sat at his desk when Hecate strutted in, without a care as usual. Seeing no need to look up from his work, he said, "What do you wish to bother me about this time?"

"You say that as if I wish to bother you _all_ the time," Hecate chortled, and Hades didn't need to be watching her to know she was giving him an overly dramatic eye roll. After popping her bubblegum, she added, "And I'm not the one bothering you today. You have a guest."

"I do not want any guests," Hades snapped, though, when he looked up and saw said guest already in his office, stood just behind Hecate, he coughed. His guest was a voluptuous woman, with blonde waves falling down past her waist, rosy cheeks, and a dress so sheer it left nothing to the imagination.

She was supposed to be the most beautiful of all the goddesses, but when Hades thought of beauty, his thoughts immediately went to dark skin and dark curls.

"Lady Aphrodite," Hades said, careful to keep his attention on her face and not elsewhere, even though she dressed provocatively precisely because she wanted others to look elsewhere. "I apologise for my remark just then. I am not used to guests, especially one from Mount Olympus."

"It appears I caught you at the wrong time," Aphrodite mused, smiling coyly. "I can always come back later."

"Do not worry. I was not focused on my work. You are a welcome distraction."

"Oh, did you hear that? I am a welcome distraction," Aphrodite said to Hecate, and she giggled as Hecate just chewed her bubblegum in response. She then turned back to Hades, who was in the midst of taking off his reading glasses, and said, "Oh, no, so keep them on. The glasses so do suit you. I didn't even know you wore them. You look far less like the intimidating god everyone says you are wearing those. It's cute."

Hades paused, stared at Aphrodite, then continued to take off his glasses. "And what can I help you with, Aphrodite?"

"I just wanted a chat, over some ambrosia, perhaps?"

Hades frowned. A god coming for a chat could not possibly be a good thing.

Still, he couldn't turn her away, and so he reluctantly agreed to have some ambrosia with her. As he led Aphrodite to his dining hall, he had to pull out his phone and send a message to his Underworld group chat (yes, there was an Underworld group chat, for moments such as this) telling everyone someone better remove Persephone's flowers from the table and hide them for the meantime, lest Aphrodite question where Hades has gotten his hands on magical flowers. Thankfully, when they entered the all black dining hall, there was no colour anywhere, bar Aphrodite's golden hair and baby pink dress.

As they sat down and helped themselves to ambrosia, Aphrodite said, "So, I hear you've picked up yourself a human lover."

"I do beg your pardon?"

"It's all over social media," Aphrodite mused. "People saw you at the beach the other day with a human woman, though Poseidon claims he saw no one there, bar you and Hermes."

"Perhaps Hermes was the human," Hades mumbled.

"I wasn't even aware you and Hades were friends."

"We are not," Hades mumbled next. "Why are you interested anyway? The rest of you gods never pay attention to me, so why now?"

"Because it's unusual to see you out and about," Aphrodite pointed out, and she took a long sip of her ambrosia. "Plus, I'm the Goddess of Love! If anyone's in love, I want to know, and perhaps provide advice to those who are a little new to it."

Frowning, Hades said, "I do not need advice from a goddess known for cheating on her husband because he's disabled."

"You dare accuse me of such ridiculousness," Aphrodite said, her tone dropping to icy levels as she narrowed her eyes. "You think I would sleep with Ares purely because my husband is a cripple? I'm insulted you'd think that low of me."

"It is what all the other gods say."

"And what do all the other gods say about you?" Aphrodite snapped. "That you're a monster and a terrible man. If you want people to stop believing false rumours about you, you shall stop believing false rumours about others."

"I do apologise if I have offended you with my hypocrisy," Hades said, bowing his head. "I have only been told about the constant arguing between you and Hephaestus concerning Ares."

"Hermes mention it?" Aphrodite asked, and when Hades nodded, she sighed. "He didn't mean we argue about who I'm sleeping with, you buffoon. He means we're constantly arguing about who gets to spend time with him. You see, contrary to popular belief, Hephaestus gets along well with Ares, and Ares quite likes aiding Hephaestus in his forge. Only Ares makes a promise to Hephaestus one day, forgets, and double books a date with me, and it's a hassle to sort out."

Hades, who wasn't fond of ambrosia, automatically poured himself another glass. "You're not sleeping with Ares?"

"Of course, I'm sleeping with Ares," Aphrodite said with a giggle, the iciness from her voice disappearing for good. "But not because I'm cheating on my husband. I'm the Goddess of Love; do you really expect me to be monogamous? Hephaestus has fully consented to my relationship with Ares, and I would not have it any other way."

"Oh," Hades said. "I do apologise for my misconceptions."

"Because he's disabled?" Aphrodite snorted. "I may be blonde, but I'm not a shallow airhead. I would gladly touch my husband if he ever wanted me to, but he's asexual, meaning—"

"No sexual attraction, I need not be told," Hades said. "Would you really believe I wouldn't know what that meant when my secretary is called the virgin goddess? She is positively averse to the idea of sex or romance."

"Well, my husband definitely showers me with romantic affection, and he's not averse to the idea of sex, but he simply prefers other activities." Aphrodite grinned. "I'll let you in on a secret, both he and Ares love to curl up and watch corny romance movies with me, but they won't admit it."

Hades considered admitting that he too was somewhat fond of 'corny' romance movies, but Aphrodite was not someone he knew well (made evident by the conversation they had just had) and so for now, he thought to keep his secrets to himself.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss whilst you are here?" he asked.

"I would still love to discuss my original topic," Aphrodite mused, finishing off her glass of ambrosia. With her hands free, she tapped one against the top of the table and played with her blonde curls with the other. "Are you in love with a human."

"No," Hades said, telling the honest truth in that regard at least.

"Are you in love at all?" she tried asking. He frowned, and so she held her hands up in surrender. "I'm not about to tell the other gods if you are. It wouldn't end happily for you if I did, since we both know what Zeus is like with paramours. I could never tell, not if it ruined a good love story, seeing as I am the Goddess of Love."

"I don't know," Hades said.

"Don't know what?"

"I don't know," Hades repeated, "if I am in love at all."

"Oh?" Aphrodite asked, her eyebrows raised. "Surely you would know if you were."

"But I never have been, so if I am now, I would not know," Hades said. "Perhaps not until it is too late."

 **A/N:**

I was so busy last month I just finished this next chapter now! Anyway, we finally get to meet Demeter and Zeus, and Aphrodite too, which was unexpected! Anyway, you can tell I'm making up my head canons for this worlds somewhat as I go along, as I originally wrote this as a kinda YOLO project (one day, I have plans to rewrite and make it better, one day). I decided a while ago that having Aphrodite as polyamorous would be a great idea, and that she, Hephaestus and Ares all get along, but Hermes had already called Aphrodite and Hephaestus out for arguing over Ares, so I tried to make it fit in with what I've already written! Also, Hephaestus is ace, and I've finally managed to canonise Hecate being aroace in this universe too! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next month!

~Blake


	10. An Invitation to a Party

**An Invitation to a Party**

"What are you doing?" Hecate asked as she strutted into Hades' office without knocking, as per usual.

Looking up, Hades nudged his glasses down his nose so he could get a better look at Hecate, stood in the distance. "I am working, evidently. The Underworld does not run by itself."

"Yes, but it's Saturday," Hecate reminded him as she trotted forward so she could come and perch on the edge of his desk.

"It is," Hades replied, pushing his glasses back up his nose as he returned to focusing on his paperwork.

"It's _Saturday_ ," Hecate repeated.

"It is," Hades repeated.

When he didn't look up, Hecate blew a black bubble into his face, and when he still didn't look up, she sighed and pulled something off her clipboard, dangling it in front of his face.

"Sat-ur-day," she said once again.

"And this is?" Hades asked, eyes flickering up to see she was holding out an envelope, with Zeus' seal emblazoned on the back.

"Your invite to the yearly god meet up," she said, flipping the envelope around so he could see his name on the front. "Which is tonight, in case you didn't know. Aren't you lucky you have such a nice secretary to remind you? I've been reminding you all week, mind you, so I shouldn't need to remind you again, unless you've been ignoring me, of course."

"I do on occasion ignore you," Hades replied, returning to his work, and Hecate snorted. "You have a tendency to waffle on about things irrelevant to my work, and I do not wish to get distracted."

"Boo, you bore," Hecate said, and she shook the envelope in his face. "Come on, you've got to get ready."

"Zeus only invites me out of common courtesy," Hades said. "You know I am not wanted, which is why I never go, and I will not start now. Besides, I do not like anyone there."

"Not even Hermes? Thought you were buddies now."

"Not even Hermes."

"Not even Persephone? She'll be really gutted to hear."

Hades' head shot up, and Hecate flashed him a wicked grin. "That got your attention."

"You lie. Persephone is not allowed out. Zeus and Demeter forbid it."

"You really do live under a rock, literally, I suppose, if you class the Underworld as underground," Hecate remarked. "Today is the one day Zeus lets her go out. You can see her without sneaking around. You haven't seen her for a while, have you?"

Hades' gaze turned from Hecate as his frown softened, and he fought back a sigh. "Not since the beach, no."

"Then you can see her today," Hecate said. "But only see her. No interaction, lest something goes wrong and you both get into trouble."

"I will… consider it…" Hades muttered as his heart started to ache, simply at just the thought of Persephone. See her, but only see her.

"Sorry, but I already considered it for you," Hecate said. "I told Persephone we're going. What? Don't give me that look. You're not the only one with her number. Remember who gave it to you?"

"What do you mean 'we'?" Hades asked, leaning back in his chair and taking off his glasses.

Hecate shifted her fingers, revealing another envelope hidden behind the first, only this one had her name on. "I'm a goddess too, you know? We all get invitations, even Nyx, and we know Zeus is terrified of her. Come on, don't you want to have fun? It will be great to see everyone's faces when we turn up in our finest gear, ready for a cocktail."

Before Hades could argue back, there was a knock at his door, and before he could reply to that, the door was already opening. In strutted Nyx, in her white dress, the stars in her midnight hair glistening as it flowed behind her. And, despite Nyx being the personification of night, the room only darkened when the person behind her entered.

Erebus, Nyx's consort, had ashen grey skin, and hair made of literal darkness, where the separate strands always appeared blurred, due to their absorption of light. Unbefitting of the personification of darkness, he wore white, perhaps to match Nyx, although he never truly said.

Fighting back a sigh, Hades leant back in his chair and tapped his fingers against his desk. "What brings you here, Nyx and Erebus?"

"We come baring invitations, son," Erebus said, waving two envelopes. Just as Nyx was lovingly referred to as the mother of the Underworld, Erebus was thought of as the father figure, henceforth he called everyone 'son' especially Hades, for he claimed it was amusing to watch Hades squirm at the pet name.

Hades sighed. "Please do not tell me you—"

"Hecate said you were going, so we thought we absolutely must too," Nyx said, beaming as she strutted across the room and perched on the other corner of Hades' desk. She caught Hecate's eye, and both goddesses shared a grin before turning their attention back to Hades.

Hades sighed again. "Please, I—"

"You cannot deny a goddess her wish," Erebus said, marching forward so he stood directly in front of the desk, and he waved his and Nyx's invitations alongside Hades' and Hecate's.

Hades sighed again. "You realise absolutely no one in Olympus likes us? We shall all just be cast to the side as soon as we enter."

"I am sure Persephone likes us," Nyx said.

"And I'm sure Hermes only dislikes us," Hecate chirped.

"You are correct about the others, though," Erebus added. "I am sure they hate us."

"Thank you, Erebus, for your contribution," Hades muttered.

"But what does it matter?" Nyx crowed, and she shared another grin with Hecate before looking back down at Hades. "They may hate us, but we shall look spectacular regardless."

#

Persephone was sat cross legged on her bed, a bag of abnormally large marshmallows in hand as she gazed at the small TV she had somehow managed to convince her mother to let her have. She needed to do something when locked up in her room every day of the week. Not that she truly was, when she spent most of it at work in the coffee shop, but Demeter didn't know that. And so she had let Persephone get a small TV, which the young goddess was currently using to stream the trashiest show she could possibly find, a show Zeus would absolutely disapprove of.

Funnily enough, lately she'd been really getting into stories about star-crossed lovers. When the lovers finally got together, she'd either give a long, romantic sigh, or squeal into her pillow.

"Persephone, why are you still in you pyjamas?" Demeter asked when she walked in, frowning at the state her daughter was in. Today, Demeter was wearing a pink rose behind her eye, and her short, curly hair was sparkling with green glitter, matching the sleek, dark green gown she wore, a belt of smaller roses tied tightly around her waist.

"I gotta finish the episode, it's at the good part," Persephone explained, stuffing another marshmallow into her mouth. Boy, she couldn't wait to babble about the latest episode to Psyche! Persephone almost kept forgetting about her marshmallows, she was too fixated on her show. Oh, Arachne was going to get so annoyed on Monday when Persephone and Psyche wouldn't shut up about the show.

"Persephone, dear, we're leaving in half an hour," Demeter said, giving a drawn-out sigh. "You don't have time to get ready. And if you keep eating those, you won't fit into the dresses I gave you."

"That's the point," Persephone said, and she popped another marshmallow into her mouth.

"Just… just get ready…" Demeter said, her eyes cast down to the floor. "You do not wish to anger Zeus, after all."

Demeter swept out of the room, and Persephone stared down at her marshmallows, screaming to be eaten despite the fact her appetite had just flown away. With a sigh, she snatched up her phone, seeing several messages from both Hecate _and_ Hades.

 **Hecate:** Mission success! Totally convinced him to go. I can't believe my antisocial boss is going to a party… ZEUS' party ٩(^ᴗ^)۶

 **Hecate:** And don't you go bailing on me now, I'll be gutted

 **Hecate:** As in seriously I will hunt you down and set Cerberus on you

 **Persephone:** Cerberus LOVES me. You can't set him on me. I'll see you at the party xx

 **Hecate:** Don't do anything stupid though. See you soon ( ˘ ³˘)©

Persephone sighed and rolled her eyes at her phone, hoping Hecate would somehow be aware of the action, then opened her conversation with Hades, her heart fluttering when she read what he had sent.

 **Hades:** I have been informed by Hecate you shall be at Zeus' gathering, so I shall see you there. Hecate forbids me from speaking directly to you, but I imagine there will be a way to get around it if we try. If Zeus dares try to do something, I shall stop him, do not worry.

Persephone clutched her phone to her chest and sighed, flopping back down on her bed. She lay there for a moment, staring up at her ceiling, popped another marshmallow in her mouth, and finally typed out a reply.

 **Persephone:** I can always count on you! Save your first dance for me xx

 **Hades:** I will.

 **Hades:** xx

Just as she would do when watching her shows, Persephone squealed in to her pillow. Rolling off her bed, she supposed she might as well get ready. Only… she grinned. _You do not wish to anger Zeus, after all_ , Demeter had said. And Persephone didn't, to be fair—Zeus made her palms sweat—but if Hades wouldn't let Zeus do anything, well, then that meant it was time to go wild.

Away with her mother's dresses that she could barely breathe in. Away with things that weren't _Persephone_. No, instead she rummaged through her wardrobe, picked out her most ideal dress for a party, and, once dressed, trotted downstairs.

When Demeter saw her daughter, she gasped, and then shook her head. "Persephone, dear, I said something that doesn't displease Zeus."

"Actually, I believe you said don't anger Zeus," Persephone retorted, to which her mother frowned. "Besides, I am not made for pleasing Zeus, and the same goes for you."

Spinning around, she showed her mother her dress. It was too the knees and light green, with the skirt jaggedly cut to resemble leaves, and to show the dozens and dozens of frilly pink petticoats underneath.

"Persephone, Zeus is King of the Gods," Demeter reminded her, her brow creasing even further.

"King of Not Me," Persephone said.

"Also my dress matches your roses. Don't say I didn't think about it."

Tentatively, Demeter raised a hand to the rose in her hair, then sighed again. "Persephone, you didn't even care for your hair."

Untrue, for she had. She'd decorated it with ribbons and flowers, but she'd also let it flow down, wild and free. What was the point of having natural hair if she had to hide it all the time just to please some almighty god who had his head stuck up his arse?

Persephone's shoulders started to slump as her expression began to match her mothers and she simply said, "I didn't want to."

"Oh, Persephone. You're usually more… compliant than this…"

"Yes," Persephone whispered, her gaze dropping to the floor. "You look beautiful by the way, Mother. I didn't get the chance to say so before…"

There was a pause before Demeter said, "As do you, my dear. The dress suits you."

Persephone's head snapped up and she stared at her mother, but Demeter was already turning away, indicating for Persephone to follow.

"Come," Demeter said. "You don't have time to change into something… more suitable. It's time we leave. The party starts soon. Just remember to be—"

"Careful who I dance with. You say that every year," Persephone said, but still her heart fluttered.

I will, Hades had said when she'd asked him if he'd save his fist dance for her.

"I will," Persephone repeated, and Demeter at least nodded in mild satisfaction.

#

Despite infamously hating humans, the gods always made sure to hold their annual get together in a human establishment. A display of power, Zeus claimed. A display of arrogance, Hades would mutter to Hecate who, as expected, always agreed.

And Zeus' plan worked, of course, for when the gods were arriving for their party, humans would gather outside to gaze in awe as they caught a glimpse of divinity. The women swooned when Apollo pranced onto the scene, dragging a reluctant Artemis behind him. The men swooned when Aphrodite strutted into view and blew them all kisses, though hearts most certainly shattered when she took Hephaestus and Ares by the arms and led them into the party. There were cheers when Poseidon approached, and then truly thunderous rounds of applause when Zeus arrived last, always last. He was the best, after all, or so he liked to claim.

However, this year, as he absorbed his roar of approval, it appeared he wasn't the last to arrive. Zeus had been about to enter the party, alongside Hera, when the crowd squealed, and a dark chariot drawn by four dark horses appeared.

Appropriately, the crowd fell into a deathly silence as Hades stepped from the carriage, his cape swishing behind him. He could not care about Zeus, watching from the entrance with wide eyes, and simply focused on helping Hecate out of the carriage. It wasn't as if she needed help, as she only ever wore several inch stilettos, but it was gentlemanly anyway.

And then, Nyx stepped out, followed by Erebus, and Hades pondered of it was possibly for silence to become even more silent. There was a moment before whispers started to break out. Who was this mysterious woman in a white ball gown and hair like midnight? And who was this mysterious man who matched her in both clothes and hair?

As Hades waved the chariot away, he turned to face Zeus, who's face had become pale at the sight of Nyx. Even Hera's eyes were wide. As Hades regarded his brother with a cold neutrality, Nyx smiled and turned to her audience.

"My dears, I am Nyx, the primordial deity of night," she announced, stepping forward and flashing her moon like smile at the crowd. Raising her hands to the dusky sky, she said, "My consort Erebus and I would love to great you on this fine evening, as do my companions, Hades and Hecate."

Neither Hades nor Hecate smiled as they bowed their heads to the crowd, which had quietened once again, though Hecate did have to dig her nails into Hades' arm to stop herself from sniggering.

The four gods from the Underworld strutted towards the entrance to the party, stopping shortly in front of Zeus and Hera. Hades dared say he heard a sharp intake of breath from the observing humans as the gods confronted each other.

Zeus' white suit darkened slightly as his eyes became storms, yet Hades refused to make any motion with his face, only continued to stare. It was Erebus that broke the silence when he took Hera's hand and gently kissed it, saying, "Lady Hera, it has been a while. I am glad to be graced by your presence once more."

"And I too," Hera said, with as straight a face as possible. She turned to Nyx and only managed a small nod as she said, "Lady Nyx."

Nyx smiled regardless, and said, "Dear Hera, the peacock feathers look divine on you. I could never pull off such a dress."

Hera glanced down at her blue dress, and then towards Nyx's. "…And I could never pull off yours."

"What brings you here, brother?" Zeus asked, his voice low as she glowered up at Hades. Hades may not have had much on his younger brother, but at least he had height.

"An invitation," Hades replied.

"All gods and goddesses are welcome," Hecate said, and she waved at Zeus to step aside. "Come now, some of us are starving."

When Zeus did not move, Nyx cleated her throat and said, "If you would please step aside. Some of us are are quite famished."

Zeus' scowl deepened, but he said no more as he stepped aside, Hera staggering back with him. Nyx grinned and swept passed. Erebus frowned at Zeus, smiled at Hera, then followed his partner. Hades and Hecate gave both king and queen the same cold, calculating looks before stepping past themselves, though Hecate broke into a grin when Zeus could no longer see.

"Did you see his face?" she snickered, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

"Funnily enough, I did," Hades said. "I was stood in front of him."

"I know," she replied, smacking him on the arm. "Now remember, don't do anything stupid. Stay on your best behaviour, okay?"

Hades, remembering his promise to save his first dance for Persephone, simply said, "I will."

 **A/N**

Really sorry about the late chapter! I couldn't update last month because I was busy, and I was supposed to update on the first of this month but I was really ill .

Anyway, we're going to have a party mini arc! Hope you all enjoy! We got to meet Erebus to go with Nyx, as well as a glimpse of Hera. Who knows who we'll be seeing next chapter? Prolly a lot more!

~Blake


	11. An Invitation to a Party Pt 2

**An Invitation to a Party Pt 2**

Zeus' annual party was well known as a high-class extravaganza. Gods of all types were invited, no matter how important they were seen as, and everyone came dressed in their most luxurious attire. There was a full orchestra, manned by nymph sisters, though organised by the muses (who were too busy attending the party to man the orchestra themselves). An endless buffet, and a wide, open dance area, where the Olympians would take their unofficial turns to strut their stuff. It was impossible to have a party of the gods without any sort of flair.

It was also the one time a year Persephone was genuinely allowed outside her room, without sneaking away, but there she was, still stood on her own. Well, stood on her own with her mother, at least, but even though she loved her mother dearly, Persephone couldn't help but feel dreadfully alone regardless.

"Remember to stay away from Apollo. He's such a womaniser," Demeter said as she nodded to the twins, stood not too far away.

Golden-haired Apollo was busy blathering to silver-haired Artemis, who herself was busy scowling and not paying attention. Not paying attention to Apollo meant her eyes were drifting around the room, and they settled on Demeter and Persephone. She nudged her brother in the stomach, who turned around and flashed a brilliant smile at the two watching goddesses, yet, before Persephone could smile back, Demeter had already turned her away.

"A true womaniser," Demeter repeated, as if she didn't say this every year.

"I don't think he's just a _woman_ iser," Persephone said, sneaking a glance back at Apollo, who was trying to get Ares' attention. Ares scowled, unsurprisingly, but Aphrodite at least blew a kiss toward the god of the sun. She blew one towards Artemis too, but Artemis just stared back, stone-faced.

Then Aphrodite turned her attention to Persephone, a playful smile creeping across her face. Aphrodite was cruelly beautiful, with her tumbling blonde hair, voluptuous figure, and sheer dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Ares was certainly taking notice, but Hephaestus, leant against his cane, was more focused on his wife's eyes and smile than anything else.

Persephone looked down at her own figure, also curvy, but not in the same 'appealing' way as Aphrodite's was. Not that Persephone would ever sacrifice her marshmallows and cake and hot chocolates just to lose a little weight off her thighs—she was certainly growing more confident in her appearance with every passing day she spent outside her lonely room. Besides, as long as a certain, white-haired spindly god looked into her eyes adoringly, she couldn't care less what she looked like.

And it was as she was wistfully dreaming about this certain white-haired spindly god that, well, he walked into the room.

In all honestly _walked_ was the incorrect word. Hades strode in, his cape flowing behind him in a breeze that wasn't there. He was always dressed smart regardless of the occasion, but right then he was even smarter in a three-piece suit, which should have looked ridiculous when combined with his cape, but, somehow, he pulled it off. Perhaps because nothing quite screamed 'god of death' like a black swishy cape, with a matching circlet of thorns that could have been plucked straight from a rose bush (if it wasn't for the fact it was entirely black. Then again, Persephone had seen the 'rose' bushes in the Underworld. They truly were all black).

If Persephone hadn't known differently, she would have said Hecate was the perfect match for him, as she certainly looked it. She still wore her dangerously high stilettos, but for once she had swapped her usual suit for a dress; tight, black and to the floor, with a slit to the hip up one side, and a neckline that dipped halfway down her torso.

Both wore stern, stoic, expressions—a perfect fit for the hardly ever smiling Hades, but a little odder looking on the laid-back Hecate. Though, Hecate had been texting Persephone earlier that the gods of the Underworld certainly had a reputation and appearance to adhere to. The scarier, the better.

The room hadn't exactly silenced when Hades and Hecate strolled in, but it had certainly quietened, and even the nymph-run orchestra stuttered in its music. Party attendees started manically whispering to each other, though Hades and Hecate paid them no heed. However, Hecate's lips did quirk ever so slightly when the final pair strolled in behind them. The room truly did silence then, even the orchestra.

Stunning was the only word that could describe the goddess that had just arrived. Dressed in a large, white ballgown, she had hair like the midnight sky, black and wispy, stars twinkling in the strands, curtaining a pale face that reminded Persephone of the moon. On her arm hung a god with ashen grey skin and hair so dark, it could have been absorbing the light.

Actually… maybe it really was absorbing the light… wait, hang on a minute—

"Nyx," Demeter breathed, her eyes wide.

Persephone gasped. That was truly Nyx, not just any old goddess, but a primordial deity! So, the god on her arm must have been Erebus, personification of darkness, which would explain the light absorbing hair.

If Persephone had her facts and family history correct, Nyx and Erebus were two of the oldest gods to even exist, well, as was expected from a primordial deity. Yet the primordials had passed on the reigns to the Olympians, and hardly bothered to keep in contact in most occasions, whereas the Olympians wouldn't dare approach someone far above them. This hardly stopped Zeus from inviting them all to his yearly parties, since there'd be a riot if he didn't, but none of them ever turned up.

Yet, here Nyx and Erebus were, not just primordial deities, but ones that resided in the Underworld alongside Hades.

Zeus stormed in behind them, his face bright red and his suit a dark grey, with Hera in her peacock blue dress running in after. After ordering Persephone to stay where she was, Demeter herself hurried over to join her brother and sister, Poseidon and Hestia also on their way over, and they talked in hushed voices as they threw suspicious looks towards Hades and his crew.

"Are you familiar with Nyx?" a familiar voice asked, and Persephone turned to see Hermes had joined her. Unlike the rest of the gods, he never wore his best finery at such parties. In fact, every year, he wore a simple, classic toga that didn't mesh well with the cheap, plastic wings he'd bought from a local costume shop.

"Not personally."

"Huh, that does surprise me."

"What surprises you?" another voice said, and the pair were joined by another god, though one Persephone didn't recognise.

It was always difficult to guess a god's age, but judging by looks alone, this one couldn't have been older than fourteen. With wavy brown hair down to his elbows, decorated with an ivy crown, he wore the same type of toga as Hermes did, just minus the plastic wings.

"You're way too young to be drinking," Hermes said, eyeing the glass of blood red wine the kid already held, and the party had barely even started.

"I'm literally the god of wine, so sue me," the kid replied, before proceeding to take a long swig from his glass.

Eyebrows raised, Persephone asked, "And who's this sassy chid?"

"Dionysus, unfortunately," Hermes said.

"There's nothing unfortunate about being the god of parties," Dionysus countered, taking another swig of his wine. To Persephone, he said, "You don't know me?"

"Am I… supposed to?"

"Guess not, really. I'm only new and haven't had much of a time to make a name for myself," Dionysus said, swirling the wine in his glass. "But don't you worry; I'll be perfectly infamous one day. I'm technically not even a god, more a demi-god… but whatever."

"Zeus happened, in case you were wondering," Hermes explained, as if the existence of a new god needed explaining. "You know, I thought I could finally be treated like an adult god, with a new kid here and all, but they still see me as an imbecile."

"You _are_ an imbecile," Dionysus said.

"And I have to babysit one too." Hermes pulled up his feet, so he hovered cross-legged above the floor. "Zeus didn't want to have to look after his own kid, you see, so he lumped Dionysus on me and now I have to raise him."

"At least he isn't locked away," Persephone huffed, crossing her arms.

"Wouldn't be a very good god of parties if I was locked away and couldn't party," Dionysus said. When Persephone scowled at him, he added, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard of you. Demeter's, right? Don't worry. My next party, I'll invite you."

With a sigh, Persephone stared down at her feet. "I'm only allowed out to this party."

"Allowed and actually doing are two completely different things," Dionysus said with a shrug. "I'm sure if I asked Hermes nicely, he'd find a way to get you out. And I can be very persuasive, trust me."

"I'd hardly call it persuasive," Hermes huffed. "He's more the go of whine than the god of wine, if you catch my drift."

"Here. You look like you might need it for this evening," Dionysus said, shoving his wine into Persephone's hand. "I gotta go get some more. This is my first time attending one of Zeus' parties and I can already tell it's gonna be boring. I need to get drunk and plan how to start my own cult."

"You're too—" Another sigh from Hermes once Dionysus had swivelled around and strutted away. "Young… oh, being a god sucks. We suck. Why would they let a kid be the god of _wine_? Why couldn't he have been a fully formed adult at birth like Athena? Anyway, hate to leave you alone, but I've got to go and babysit the twerp and make sure he doesn't get too drunk and ruin the party, not that he's going to be the one to ruin the party."

Hermes jerked his thumb towards where Hades was elegantly stood with Hecate, and Persephone started to pout. "Hades wouldn't ruin the party."

"He only came here 'cause you're here," Hermes said. "Now, seriously, don't do anything stupid. Just… admire his corpse face from over here."

"Oh, I will," Persephone said wistfully, hands clutched to her chest as she watched Hades. If only he would start striding across the room again (preferably towards her) so she could watch his cape flutter behind him.

Now that Hermes was gone, Hades finally looked towards Persephone. With the rest of the gods still fussing over Nyx's and Erebus' appearance, no one was watching Hades, and so all bar Persephone missed the tiny smile he gave her. Persephone grinned back, which caught Hecate's attention, who also smiled at Persephone, then followed it up with digging one of her heels into Hades' foot. His eye twitched, but that was it.

Be good, be good, don't do anything stupid, yes, Persephone knew. They weren't allowed to speak each other, only admire each other from a distance (well, Persephone hoped Hades was admiring her anyway, it would be a little disheartening if the admiration was only one way).

When Demeter finally came back to her daughter, she frowned and asked, "Where did you get that wine from?"

"Oh, Dionysus gave it to me," Persephone replied. "He's sassy, but adorable."

"He's a trouble maker, that's what he is," Demeter said, leaning over to take the glass of wine, but Persephone turned just enough so that her mother couldn't reach it. Pulling back, Demeter continued, "I'll never understand why Zeus gave him to Hermes, as if Hermes was going to be a good influence."

"I like Hermes," Persephone retorted, and Demeter's frown only deepened. "Well, I mean, he spares a few words with me every party. I like him."

Absolutely nothing to do with how he helped her sneak out to meet Hades, of course.

Demeter looked as if she was about to argue, but Zeus had already started clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. The party didn't officially start until Zeus had given his long, boring welcoming spiel, after all.

He went through his usual routine of first introducing himself and bragging about various deeds he'd done that year (or crimes, Persephone liked to joke) before moving on to the rest of the twelve Olympians, starting with Hestia, the oldest of his siblings, something Hera always scowled at, thinking she deserved to go first since she was his queen.

Hestia went by quietly, as she always did. Poseidon got a fair cheer, whilst Hera got the false respect she thought she deserved as the queen, though the applause for Demeter was perhaps cheerier. Out of the second wave of Olympians, Aphrodite's announcement certainly received the most applause, as opposed to her husband, who the others had a distaste for due to his disability, though Hephaestus wasn't as ill received as Ares, who the others had a distaste for due to his thing for violence.

Apollo beamed at his acknowledgements, whilst Artemis hunched over and scowled at the attention. Hermes, last as always, since he was the youngest, wasn't even paying attention when his name was called, too busy arguing with Dionysus about something.

"Last but not least, I wanted to welcome Dionysus, god of wine, to his first annual party," Zeus announced, his arms held open wide, and his suit a paler grey than it had been before. "Now, let the party—"

"Last, but not least?" Nyx's voice cut through the air. She flashed a pleasant smile as she said, "I think you are forgetting someone, no?"

Zeus' suit darkened once again as he snapped, "I have gone through all twelve Olympians."

"But you have missed out your oldest brother, have you not?" Nyx challenged. "I think he deserves some recognition."

"I would not want to upset Nyx, if I were you," Erebus added.

Everyone turned their attention to Hades now, who's face had remained neutral though out the whole ordeal, and Zeus finally coughed and said, "And last… we have Hades, god of the underworld. Congratulate him on keeping the dead where they belong."

"My pleasure," Hades finally said, not even bothering to bow his head to his arrogant king brother.

Once Zeus had finally ended his speech, the nymphs brought back their music, and Persephone asked, "What brings Hades here, do you think?"

"Nothing good," Demeter grumbled. "Wipe that silly grin off your fate. He is not someone you want to admire, and you best avoid him. Gods of the Underworld bring nothing but trouble."

"But I've never met him before, so how am I supposed to be the judge of that?"

"Do not meet him, please," Demeter said, taking her daughter's free hand and squeezing it. "You will just displease Zeus if you talk to Hades. He isn't worth it."

"Zeus isn't worth it either."

"Persephone… Zeus is King of the Gods…"

"And like I said before, he's the King of Not Me."

With a sigh, Demeter kissed the back of Persephone's hand and said, "You know I only look out for you, to keep you safe, and out of trouble."

"I know," Persephone said, kissing her mother's hand in return. "But one day I'll be…"

 _Free_ , she thought.

"Out of your reach," she said.

This time it was Demeter who whispered, "I know."

And, at the quiver in her mother's voice, something small snapped inside of Persephone, but before she could question it, Demeter had already dropped her hand. After watching her mother drift away, Persephone sighed and shrank back against the wall, out of everyone's way.

Then, she took a deep breath, downed the rest of her wine, and focussed on the one word still echoing through her head.

 _Free_.

And to be free, she had to make her own choices, and she was going to start by ignoring all the advice people had been giving her that night. Don't do anything stupid. Well, she was going to do something stupid. Hades had promised her his first dance, after all, and Persephone was going to get that dance, even if it was the last thing she did.

 **A/N**

I'm REALLY sorry about this late update. It's been like... three months, awful, I know. Just Summer really is a way too stressful time for me and I cannot write in Summer. Every year I try to, and every year I fail .

Anyway, sorry for the uneventful chapter... I just wanted to get something out for you guys so you're not waiting another month... please enjoy!

Also one day I'll have a more imaginative title for this fic than just 'Hades and Persephone' but today is not that day.

~Blake


	12. An Invitation to a Party Pt 3

**An Invitation to a Party Pt 3**

"Don't," Hecate emphasised, "do anything stupid."

"You have said numerous times already," Hades said. "I need not be reminded again."

"Then stop staring at her, for Olympus' sake, or someone's going to notice."

They had been at Zeus' annual party for several hours now, and Hades had spent the entire time sulking in the corner, at least accompanied by Hecate. People had kept glowering at Hades, but upon seeing he wasn't doing anything, they turned their attention elsewhere, mostly towards Nyx and Erebus, still dazzling the crowd as they danced. With such a dramatic entrance, the other gods must have thought Hades was there to cause a scene. He wasn't interesting now they'd learnt he wasn't up to anything.

Which meant, since everyone's gazes were diverted elsewhere, that gave Hades ample opportunity to watch Persephone, alone in the corner of the room.

Her dark hair had been left down and was decorated with flowers. Her light green dress stopped at her knees, the ends jagged to resemble leaves. To top off the look were her dozens of pale pink petticoats. She reminded Hades of a delicate rose, surrounded by the thorns that were the other gods.

For the love of Olympus, she was beautiful, even in her dress that stuck out against the sleeker attire other gods had gone with. Hades could not help but stare.

"Hades, I said stop staring," Hecate scolded him again, jabbing him with her sharp elbow. "Zeus will have your head."

"Let me get this straight," Hades said, jaw setting as his back straightened. "You convince me to come to a party that Zeus is hosting, even though you know of my temperamental relationship with him, under the guise that I can see Persephone again, but I am only allowed to see her? Is that right?"

"Don't raise your voice like that. You'll get everyone's attention," Hecate hissed. "And especially don't raise your voice at me."

"I will raise my voice at whomever I desire," Hades replied, though he did drop the volume, for she was right about getting others' attention.

Hecate prodded him in the chest with one of her sharp nails. "Don't start giving me attitude, boss. You can try to intimidate anyone else. You can get annoyed with anyone else. But I'm not going to put up with it, understand?"

He brushed her hand away, then crossed his arms as he turned his attention back to Persephone. Alone in the corner of the room, head hanging low.

"Hades, I know it's hard to stand here whilst she's over there, but it really is the best we can do."

"It is not hard."

"Then why, for the life of Olympus, are you getting in such a mood over it?"

"I am _not_ —" He sighed _._ "I am no in a mood. I only hate to see her so lonely. It is unfair and unjust."

Persephone looked up then, straight towards Hades, and she broke out into a large grin. Hades smiled back, and Hecate gave her own brief smile before jabbing Hades with her elbow again.

"I'm serious, Hades."

"Hecate, please."

" _Hades_ , please."

"Looks like some darlings don't know how to have fun!"

Immediately, both Hades and Hecate steeled themselves, pulling their expressions into as neutral a look as possible. They still had their reputation as grumpy, Underworld gods to hold up, after all.

Of all people that had come to greet them, it was Eros. Hades could not remember a time when he'd truly had a conversation with Eros, but they didn't stop him from recognising the younger god. He was extravagantly dressed, after all, with two red capes attached to his shoulders and his wrists, so when he lifted his arms they resembled wings—he couldn't have his true wings out at a party, after all. Hades had heard that it had caused a havoc one year, and Eros had since been forbidden.

He was blonde, just like his mother, with his long hair spun around the top of his head and dropping into a thick braid. It seemed there were plenty of blonde gods. Aphrodite, Eros, Hermes and Apollo. Though, in all fairness, Hermes' hair was a vivid yellow that could have been a wig, and Apollo's was literally gold. Still, sometimes Hades thought about the lack of a… colour palette amongst the gods. Not that the Underworld was any better, with their monochrome style.

"What can we help you with, Eros?" Hades asked.

Eros held a hand to his heart, and the other to his forehead. After a dramatic sigh, he said, "Alas, I have lost a bet with dear Mother, and now I must ask the lovely Lady Hecate for a dance."

Hecate blinked, then asked, "Excuse me?"

"I would not call her lovely," Hades remarked.

Now Hecate frowned. " _Excuse me_?"

"Oh please, dear goddess of witches and other Underworldly things—"

"I think you must be looking for Circe."

"—will you dance with me?"

"Alas, I do not dance," Hecate said, her smile narrow and eyes wide. Eros kept smiling, undeterred by her expression.

Hades looked to Persephone, who was still watching them, then looked back at Hecate. She sucked in a breath, but before she could scold him for what he was about to do, he said, "Hecate is an excellent dancer. She would love to dance with you."

"Marvellous," Eros mused, already threading his arm through hers.

"Hades," Hecate hissed as she was dragged away. Hades waved goodbye. He knew he was going to find his office in disarray the next day, with all his files in the wrong places.

Now half the party were still watching Nyx and Erebus, and the other half were frowning at Hecate dancing with Eros of all gods, there was ample opportunity for Hades to seek out Persephone, even if it was to say only a few words to her. Only, she had disappeared from her corner. As Hades frowned and scanned the crowd to see where she had gone, Aphrodite sidled up to him. Just as always, her pink, backless dress left nothing to the imagination. This time it dipped lower than even Hecate's did, barely covering her chest.

She ran her fingers across his shoulders, then leant in to whisper in his ear, "You're welcome."

"I am welcome for what?"

"For me getting Eros to distract Hecate for you."

"Why would I need Hecate distracted?"

Aphrodite giggles as she patted Hades on the shoulder. "I'm the Goddess of Love, darling Hades. We had this discussion the other day."

"I told you, I do not know if I am in love," Hades said as Aphrodite leant into him. "And if I was, why would that be relevant now? There are no humans."

"You told me you most certainly not in love with a human, and I'm inclined to believe that," Aphrodite mused. "So a nymph or maybe… a goddess?"

"And pray tell me which goddess here I could possibly be in love with? I do not get out much, and the only goddesses here that hail from the Underworld are Nyx and Hecate. They are most certainly outside my potential dating pool."

"I was thinking perhaps a young, pretty, spring goddess?" As Hades took in a deep breath, his shoulders tensing, Aphrodite added, "Did you really think your longing gazed towards each other would go unnoticed by me?"

Dammit. Hecate had been right. His office was going to be in a worse state than simple disarray tomorrow.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to turn you in. I'm the Goddess of Love, remember? I told you before, I am in no desire to ruin a good love story."

"It is not a good love story."

"How would you know? You said you didn't even know if you were in love." She gave him a little shove. "Hurry on now, whilst you can. She'll be on the balcony."

"All right. Thank you, Aphrodite."

"It's my pleasure," she chortled. "Just remember, you owe me now."

Hades would rather not owe any god, especially one who dealt in love. But he had no choice, and so he nodded and slipped away.

Persephone was on the balcony overlooking the back gardens of the establishment, away from where any outside humans could catch a glance. Dusk was falling, but she stood radiant against the darkening sky, gazing up at the stars. Hades closed the door behind him, cutting off the music. In the following quiet, Persephone spun around and grinned.

"Hades!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling a bright green. She made an indication that she was about to move towards him, but then she stopped and hung back.

Hades frowned. "Are you feeling well?"

"Well, I was thinking about hugging you. I like hugging," she said, hands clasped behind her back. "But then I figured… you probably aren't that big of a hugging person."

"I apologise. I am not a hugging person. I am not good with physical… affection."

"But then how are we supposed to dance?" she asked. "You said you'd save your first dance for me, remember?"

"I do remember," he replied, straightening his tie. "But that isn't physical affection."

"But it is physical. You have to touch me."

"But it is not… affection…" He was certain there must have been a red tinge to his cheeks by that point, and they only became even redder when she started giggling, and he asked, "Is anything the matter?"

"No, no. You're just funny."

"I am… funny?"

"Very much so," she said, unable to hide her smile as she leant back against the balcony's stone railing. "So, you managed to escape the party?"

"With help from Aphrodite and Eros," Hades said, resting his elbows against the top of the balcony as he came to stand next to her. "If you never see me again after this evening, then Hecate has buried me six feet deep somewhere. Probably in Tartarus."

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to face Tartarus to get you back," she mused. "But I'll try at least."

"I am sure your best will be more than enough."

"Good to see someone has plenty of faith in my abilities," she said, pulling herself up so she was sat on the railing, swinging her legs. "So, how's your first party going?"

"Abysmal," he replied. "And they make such a deal about it every year."

Gripping the railing, she leant back so she could look up at his face. "You weren't exactly trying to be social though. I was watching you. Very grumpy."

"It is hard to not be grumpy when you are not allowed to talk to the one reason you came to a party."

"The one reason, huh?" Persephone asked, her eyes shifting into a softer green.

"Yes. It is an absolutely shame I came all this way to speak to Zeus, but no one will permit me an audience with him."

Persephone's hands flung to her mouth as she snorted. "Did you just make a joke?"

"I do not make jokes, Persephone. I do not even smile," he replied, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulling her forward so she wasn't leaning back too far. Even a god would be hurt if they fell backwards off a balcony.

"You smile for me though," Persephone said, taking hold of the balcony railing again so she could lean back without a fear of falling.

"Oh, do I?"

"You do on occasion." She grinned, her eyes shifting back to a bright green.

Something tightened in his chest at that remark, along with the way she grinned at him, so carefree and without the perpetual worry that weighed her down. Unable to meet her gaze without feeling hot in the face, Hades had to look away, instead directing his attention up to the stars.

"On occasion, yes," he said, and as if the fates wanted to prove his point, he unintentionally smiled.

Persephone hopped off the railings, then spun around so she was facing the night sky alongside Hades, taking a tiny step closer to him. Her eyes twinkled just like the stars as she said, "Stunning, isn't it?"

"Yes, stunning," he said, looking at her and not the stars.

He had hoped that perhaps he would get away with that remark, and she would not know he had not been looking at the stars, but her eyes flickered to him just as he had spoken, and she gasped, her hands flinging to her now bright red cheeks.

"You're the god of the Underworld!" she cried. "You're not supposed to say corny romantic comedy lines. Though I do like my corny romantic comedy lines. Oh my gods, what would Psyche say if she knew?"

Hades' brow furrowed. "I beg your pardon…?"

"I mean, th-that romantic comedy trope… you know… where the first character is like 'wow so pretty' and the next character is like 'yeah totally pretty' but they're not talking about the thing they're talking about the first character but the first character isn't supposed to know… but I saw you looking at me!"

Hades, being a secret fan of such romantic comedies, was in fact familiar with the trope. However, he was not familiar with the distress he had caused Persephone. His face had felt hot before, but now the blood rushed from it as he said, "I am sorry for upsetting you."

"Oh, no, no, no, you haven't upset me," she said, her face somehow managing to turn even redder as she stared intently at the sky. "You just… caught me off guard."

"I am sorry," he repeated, and he went back to looking at the stars. After a far, far too long moment, he said, "the night sky is beautiful. Nyx would not have it any other way."

"I can't believe Nyx actually came here!" Persephone exclaimed, latching on to the topic shift without hesitation. "And with Erebus! The Nyx, the primordial deity. And here I thought you were important, and then Nyx came and blew everything away."

Hades held a hand over his heart as he said, "I am important, thank you. You wound my precious ego."

"What ego?" she teased. "You have to have self-confidence to have an ego."

"Oh, you just went and wounded it again. You have far too much self-confidence if this is how you speak to the god of the Underworld."

At first, she smiled, but then it slipped away as she cast her gaze to the ground. Oh, for the love of Tartarus, he had just messed up again. He certainly wasn't good at this, whatever 'this' was…

"I don't have that much self-confidence… not really…" she whispered, leaning heavily against the balcony railing. Her head drooped forward, strands of her falling in front of her eyes. "It's just… you're easy to be around. Which is weird, because you're _Hades_ , god of the _Underworld_. One of the Big Three, and I'm a nobody…"

"You are not a nobody. You are Persephone, goddess of spring."

"A goddess of spring that no one knows," she said, draping herself over the railings. "But you and Hecate, and even Hermes, I guess, treat me like I'm somebody…"

"You are somebody," he said softly. "I would not come all this way to see nobody."

She turned her head to face him, and even though her eyes were now a duller green, she still smiled. "I knew you were joking about coming to see Zeus."

"Alas. The truth has been discovered," he said, leaning across the balcony with her.

"You can't hide it from me," she said, and relief washed over Hades when she gave one of her usual giggles. "Say… do you really think I'm stunning?"

"Of course, I do," he said. "You are more stunning than even Aphrodite, especially in that dress. A dress that looks like a rose is perfect for a goddess of the spring."

"You think so?" she asked, stepping back from the balcony so she could twirl around. "Mother kept trying to convince me to wear something more stylish, but for once I wanted to wear something more me. She keeps saying I should try to keep Zeus happy because he's the King of the Gods…"

"But he is not the king of you," Hades said.

"That's what I keep saying!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I want to be myself. Is that too much to ask?"

And now, Hades finally let himself smile at her as he said, "Not from me, no."

Clasping her hands behind her back, she started to rock forward on her toes. "You're too good to me. You and Hecate and even Hermes. You're too good to me."

"I told you once before you are the first to make me truly smile," Hades said. "I do not think treating you well as a result of that is too good. I do not think treating anyone well at all is too good. We should treat people how we want to be treated."

So said the God of the Underworld, hated by his own family. A lonely man hated by his own family just for being different. And by different, Hades meant socially awkward.

Persephone skipped forward so she was directly in front of him and stood up on her toes, so she was more his height. "You're really not the terrifying God of the Underworld they all claim you are."

Hades had to hold his breath to avoid breathing all over her, she was that close, and only just managed to say, "No, I'm—"

There was a cough, and then someone said, "Brother."

Hades blood turned colder than is usually would, and whilst Persephone leapt away from him, he stepped back calmly, pulling his face into as neutral an expression as possible.

Of all the people that could have followed them to the balcony, it had to be Zeus, in his ever-changing suit that got darker depending on how foul his mood was. And, as he looked from the more stoic Hades to the red-faced Persephone, his suit was almost black.

 **A/N**

Hey! It has been a while... again! Anyway, I'm excited to say I'm working on this story for NaNoWriMo, which starts today! A combination of rewriting the first several chapters and extending them, and continuing on from where this chapter left off. This was initially meant to be just a one shot for someone, and I never meant to continue it, so now that I have I just really want to make it the best story it can be (rather than just making it all up ont he fly and constantly contradicting myself, but at least now I have a semblance of a plan)

I don't know if I'll reupload everything if I do rewrite it. We shall see! Sorry for another cliff hanger again. This party arc has been going on longer than I intended, aha.

Also, if you noticed, I recently changed my name. I'm Blake now! Anyway, good luck on anyone else trying NaNoWriMo this year :3

~Blake


	13. An Invitation to a Party Pt 4

AN INVITATION TO A PARTY PART 4

Out on the balcony, the air grew colder, and the clouds above the three outside darkened. Hecate had warned Hades not to do anything stupid at the party, and he had not listened to her. She had said he would regret whatever consequences would occur if he and Persephone were caught, and he had not listened.

Perhaps he could have.

Zeus, in his almost black suit, first looked to Persephone, then turned his stormy gaze to Hades as he demanded, "What are you doing?"

Persephone was frighteningly still, her eyes wide as she didn't even breathe. Hades was sure her heart must have been hammering in her chest, for that was what his was doing. A small part of him wished to melt under his brother's gaze, flee back to his Underworld and hide. Thankfully, that was only a small part. A larger part pushed aside all worrisome thoughts as he pulled his features into a frown, his back straight.

"I was talking, can you not tell?" Hades said, waving a hand at Persephone as carelessly as he could. He hated how he could act so with ease. "I was finding your party terribly boring, and so I invited this lovely maiden for a chat."

"And you targeted the easily preyed?" Zeus asked, his fingertips crackling. What a damned hypocrite.

Hades jaw naturally clenched. "She was alone, if that is what you meant. Just as I was at the time. So, yes, I… took advantage of her."

Persephone took a couple of steps away from him, her hands clutched to her chest and her head hanging low, her hair falling in front of her face. Hades had to make it seem she had not had a part in this in the slightest. It had all been him, a cruel, lonely god, stealing away a young goddess out of his own interest. That way, only he would incur the pantheon's wrath.

That, and no one would suspect he and Persephone had been meeting up prior to the party.

"Since you never show your face in public, I clearly need to inform you of some basic rules," Zeus said, holding out a hand towards Persephone, though keeping his eye locked on Persephone. "Persephone is off limits."

"To me, because you hate me, or to everyone, because you are greedy?" Hades challenged. Sparks flared in Zeus' eyes, and whilst he partially regretted his word choice, he also revelled at the sight of Zeus' face. Who else would dare call the king of the gods greedy, besides his own, outcasted brother?

"Persephone is off limits, because that is what her mother desires," Zeus said. "You will do well to remember that. Persephone, with me."

"But I…" She looked to Hades.

"Persephone, with me," Zeus repeated, clicking his fingers at her.

And, just with that small motion, something shifted in Persephone's expression. Whereas she had once been staring at Hades in fear, now her eyes had darkened—quite literally. Their usual bright colour faded even more, melding into a dark, murky green, and whilst her eyes remained wide, it was not with fear. Her expression was almost blank, and she just stared. Hades thought that perhaps Zeus had done something to her, but when he clicked his fingers again, Hades saw Persephone's eyes twitch and her jaw clench, her hands dropping down to her sides so her fingers could curl into her skirt.

"Go with him," Hades said to her. "I have no use of you for now."

She blinked at him, then turned and silently made her way to Zeus. Zeus threw one last scowl to Hades, before putting an arm around Persephone and leading her back into the party. Her shoulders tensed at the touch.

Hades sighed as he leant back against the balcony railing. Hecate was right. This was a terrible mistake. As long as Persephone did not get into trouble. As long as he pulled all the blame onto himself. If Zeus attempted anything against him, Hades would not have to worry. They were both first generation gods from this iteration of the pantheon, and Hades was needed to run the Underworld—if something were to happen to him, who knew what would happen to the dead. Another god could not simply step into his shoes.

But, if Persephone were to get into trouble, a lowly spring goddess…

Hades could at least retreat into his Underworld and never talk to his family again. Persephone did not have that luxury, not when she relied on Demeter.

With another sigh, Hades turned his gaze to the sky. It was dark now, and stars were starting to twinkle, much like they did in Nyx's hair. Perhaps he should get Nyx to do something. No Olympian would dare stand up against a primordial.

But, dragging his hands down his face, he knew this was his problem. He could not get Nyx to mother him and fix everything for him just because he had done something he had specifically been told not to do. Nyx would happily do anything for him, he knew, but he was old, and should know better. He would have to fix things on his own.

With a sigh, he headed back into the party. As soon as he was in the presence of other guests, he pulled his expression back into a scowl. He still had his reputation as the scary god of the underworld to keep up, afterwards. A reputation as an exceedingly disliked character. Judging by the looks everyone was giving him now, he had succeeded at that wonderfully.

He could stand the stares and the scowls. What he could not stand, was the sight of Zeus, his suit back to a light grey, dancing with Persephone. Possibly a thing that occurred at every annual party, perhaps in a generally harmless manner—everyone danced with everyone else here. Yet, at that moment Persephone was rigid in her moves, staring up at Zeus with unblinking eyes. Hades' stomach churned.

Hecate was standing in the shadowy corner now, the shadows possibly created by the sheer presence of Nyx and Erebus, who were no longer dancing and stealing the attention of all the other guests. Eros was no longer with Hecate, rather he was stood with Aphrodite, Ares and Hephaestus. Ares and Hephaestus were frowning as they discussed something. Aphrodite and Eros were biting at their nails in an alarmingly similar fashion. When Aphrodite saw Hades watching, she mouthed 'I'm sorry' and he gave a slight nod to inform her the apology was accepted. It was hardly her fault he and Persephone had been caught. Just bad timing.

Hades started to make his way over to Hecate, Nyx and Erebus, pausing when he saw a few strands of Hecate's perfectly straight hair were out of place. He was absolutely going to get in trouble. Steeling himself, he marched over, and she immediately grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close enough so she could hiss in his ear, "What did I tell you about doing anything stupid?"

"To not to," he replied, pushing her gently aside. "Do not worry, Zeus does not suspect a thing. He merely thinks I am a grouchy old man taking advantage of the easily preyed. Persephone will be fine."

"Persephone might be, but you are so dead," Hecate continued to hiss, her red eyes twisting. "And I don't just mean by Zeus' hands. I can't believe you let me dance with Eros!"

"Your dancing with Eros is hardly the top of our concerns right now," Erebus said, frowning as he crossed his arms.

"It's the top of my concerns," Hecate huffed, frowning and crossing her own arms.

"Will you be fine?" Erebus asked Hades.

Hades also frowned and crossed his own arms. "I will be fine."

"With how Zeus was acting?" Nyx asked, and she too frowned and crossed her arms, so all four of them were a matching set of dour looking chthonic gods. "He came stomping back in, dragging Persephone behind him"

"And then he was bitching about you to Hera," Hecate said. "A little loudly, may I add, so everyone knows you were trying to get with Persephone."

"As long as they think I am the bad guy and Persephone was dragged away against her own will," Hades said, glancing back at the centre of the dancefloor where Persephone was still with Zeus. At the edge of the room, Demeter was stood on her own, clutching her hands to her chest in an exceedingly similar way to how Persephone would do.

"I can always sort it out for you," Nyx said. "If you truly want to court Persephone—"

"Court? Now you are starting to sound like Aphrodite."

"Excuse me, Hades. Do not interrupt a primordial god," Nyx said, and when Hades looked back at her and frowned, making no indication he was going to say anything else, she continued. "And, precisely because I am a primordial god, I can make all your worries go away. One demand from me, and Zeus would surely let you have Persephone."

"It is not Zeus we have to worry about," Hades said, his gaze drifting back to the lonely Demeter. Judging by the way her brow creased in worry as she watched her daughter with Zeus, Hades figured there was a hidden, underlaying layer to her reasons of keeping Persephone away from everyone else. He could not simply whisk Persephone away. If it was to simply upset Zeus, then yes. But Persephone's relationship with her mother was far more complicated than the relationship between the two brothers.

"I'm sure Erebus and I can handle anything," Nyx said, uncrossing her arms so she could put her hands on her hips. "They aren't all scared of me for no reason. I can get you whatever you desire."

"No, I can handle this myself," Hades said, just as the currently playing song was drawing to a close. "I have an idea."

"And that is?" Hecate demanded.

Hades allowed a rare smirk to escape as he said, "Something stupider than before."

"Hades, no," Hecate said, but he was already striding away before she could grab him by the arm and pull him back.

The other guests gasped as he strode straight over to Persephone and Zeus. But he did not care. As soon as the song finished, he asked, "Persephone, dance with me."

Zeus scowled, his suit darkening again, and said, "Hades, I already told you—"

"If I am here, I might as well have at least once dance, and you have already had yours," Hades said, and he took Persephone's hand and dragged her away. Zeus did not have a chance to snatch her back before the next song started to play.

The other dancers hesitated as Hades swept Persephone out to the centre of the dancefloor. He ignored them. He ignored everything else, including the glare Hecate was throwing him from her shadowy corner. He simply focussed on the woman in front of him, staring up at him with wide, dark eyes.

"I would request you do not look at me like that," Hades said as he spun her around. "Terrifying expressions do not suit you."

"I want to stab Zeus in the foot with a stiletto heel," Persephone said, her tone unnaturally cold. "Only, I don't have a stiletto heel, and no matter how many times I 'accidentally' stood on his foot, he didn't flinch."

Hades fought back a frown, mostly to keep up his performance in front of the other gods, and said, "You really are angry."

"What gave you _that_ idea?"

"With me?"

"Olympus, no, not with you."

"That is good. You genuinely had me concerned for a moment," Hades said, leaning in close, lips almost touching her ear. "When I let you go at the end of the dance, pretend I have been whispering nefarious, cruel things to you. Paint me as a bad guy, understand?"

"Because you want everyone to think this is all your fault," Persephone asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That's what you were doing earlier, right? You were trying to convince Zeus you'd never met me before. You just saw a lonely goddess and thought, hell, she'll be an easy target and you dragged her to the balcony against her will."

"Yes, but you are not an easy target," Hades said, looking back at her eyes, which brightened slightly from the dark colour they had become.

"Oh, but I'm still a target?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Perhaps, but more… a target of affection than anything else."

"Oh, that was smooth. Has Aphrodite been teaching you?"

Now his eyebrows raised. "I only said the truth. I meant nothing by it."

"Don't look so surprised," she said, pulling him back down closer to her as she grinned. "You've got a mean old reputation to uphold. Can't let the others see you being nice. Weren't you in the process of whispering nefarious, cruel things to me? You did just tell me I have to pretend you're a bad guy, so you have to pretend to be one too."

"As if that is hard when that is how they already all see me."

Her lips twisted. "Am I going to have to stab them all in the foot with a stiletto?"

"Perhaps. I'll ask Hecate if you can borrow hers. That is if she does not stab me with it first."

Persephone smirked as he spun her across the floor. Demeter was watching with a hand to her mouth, but she was no longer frowning. Zeus was stood with Poseidon and Hera, his suit almost black again. Hecate was still scowling, but Nyx and Erebus were looking triumphant. Hades caught a quick glance of Aphrodite, who winked at him. Hermes was dragging his hands down over his face, and the kid stood next to him was smirking.

"What if I don't want to pretend to be scared of you?" Persephone asked as she leant into him. "Can I pretend that you're such a dilatable bad boy god you've absolutely charmed me? I think pretending to be head over in heels in love is going to be easier. Imagine, the poor little, lonely goddess, swooning over the pantheon's favourite villain because he has entirely enchanted her."

Hades knew for sure his cheeks had a red tint to them now, and he hoped his hair did well to hide it from the others. She only smiled.

When the song finished and their dance came to an end, Hades kissed the back of Persephone's hand and said, "Do not forget to pretend."

"I don't think I have to pretend all that much," she replied back softly.

Hades looked up from her hand, and would have asked what that was meant to mean, but Zeus was already storming over, shouting, "Hades, I warned you—"

"You have an excellent selection of goddesses here," Hades said, his eyes not leaving Persephone's. "I might have to come back."

As if on cue, Demeter had hurried over, and Persephone perfectly swooned straight into her arms. Demeter looked up at Hades, though, unlike he had expected, it wasn't in anger. More confusion.

"Hades," Zeus started again, his suit becoming a darker grey, but Hades would not allow him to say whatever was on his mind. To be frank, Zeus could stuff it.

"I have gotten a taste of what I came for, and now I must leave. Keep her safe for me," Hades said, using his height to his advantage as he stood over his brother. Of course, Zeus did not flinch. "Hecate, we are leaving."

"My pleasure," Hecate said, having silently sidled up from behind, despite her clicking heels. Hades had not needed to look over his shoulder to know she would be there, waiting for him. She scowled at Zeus, possibly because she could not scowl at Hades himself, and took Hades' arm just as Nyx and Erebus flounced up behind them.

Without another word, Hades and Hecate spun around and strutted away, past all the gobsmacked faces of the other watching gods—and the grins of Aphrodite and Eros.

Just before he left, he just managed to overhear Persephone exclaim, "Mother, the underworld gods are so cool."

"You'd probably be best to avoid them," Demeter whispered back.

Hades only smiled.

 **A/N:**

Hey guys! This is an important notice!

I've mentioned a few times that I want to rewrite this story. I wrote the first chapter as a one shot on a whim for someone with no intention of continuing it, but I grew attached to the characters and continued. Unfortunately, because it's basically done as I go, there are LOADS of consistency errors, as well as pretty weak worldbuilding and I've wanted to fix this for a while. SO this chapter is going to be the last chapter of this iteration of the story!

Next update is going to be a brand new chapter one, starting from scratch, with hopefully consistent and actually existing worldbuilding, better characterisation, maybe actually a plot. I just wanted to upload this final chapter to finish off from the cliffhanger from last month (it would be cruel to start again leaving y'all on a cliffhanger!) Anyway, the new version will roughly follow the same story beats, but with plenty of new content, new characters, new appearances from old characters. Hopefully, it will be better, and y'all will stick along for the ride! I don't know what I'm gonna do with these old chapter, probably delete them at some point. New chapter one should be posted in the new year!

P.S. Follow my on twitter if you want, I'm gonna start posting updates and character art soon (I'm Blake_Farron)


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